Microsoft is adding an action to the inbox rules of the new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web that replies to incoming emails with a saved template. According to the entry in the Microsoft 365 roadmap, the rollout is already underway. Organizations that receive new features early have been getting it since mid-October 2026. All other Microsoft 365 organizations worldwide, including in Germany, will get the action during December 2026, according to Microsoft. Administrators don't have to configure anything beforehand.
How does the new rule action work?
In the new Outlook, you create rules under Settings > Email rules; a quicker way is to right-click a message and choose Rules > Create rule and then “More options”. There, as before, you combine conditions, actions and exceptions. What's new is an action that lets you select one of your templates as a reply. When a message arrives that meets all the conditions, Outlook sends the template back to the sender.
Microsoft has so far left two questions open: which conditions are available in detail and which type of template the action offers. The new Outlook actually has two types:
- You create email templates in the “Message” ribbon via Email template > Save email as template. These templates retain formatting, images, tables and attachments. They are stored in the mailbox of the account you save from.
- The “My Templates” add-in saves only text with simple formatting, but does so in the primary mailbox. From there, the text blocks are also available in classic Outlook and on the Mac.
According to Microsoft, both variants require a Microsoft 365 subscription.
What changes compared with classic Outlook?
In classic Outlook for Windows, a rule has been able to reply with a template file in .oft format since Outlook 2003. Microsoft names two limitations for this: Outlook must stay open on your computer, and the rule replies to each sender only once per session. After restarting Outlook, the count starts over.
According to Microsoft, the new Outlook does not process client-side rules of this kind. Migrated rules that no longer work after the switch should be recreated. Microsoft does not explicitly state whether the new action runs in the mailbox on the server and thus also replies when your laptop is closed.
The familiar out-of-office notice under Settings > Accounts > Automatic replies remains available alongside it. This function replies to all senders, optionally only within a fixed time period or only to your contacts. The rule action, by contrast, applies only to emails that match the conditions of your rule and stays active until you turn the rule off.
What this means for you
The action saves the most time for emails that you always answer the same way: acknowledgments of receipt for project inquiries, notes about your office hours, or the list of documents you need for a quote.
- It's best to create your standard reply as an email template now. Then the text will be ready as soon as the new action appears in your account.
- Keep the rule's conditions narrow. For automatic replies, Microsoft itself points out that replies to senders outside your organization also reach newsletters and spam senders. Microsoft has not yet described whether the rule replies to the same sender multiple times, so for testing it's best to first send yourself an email from a second address.
- After switching from classic Outlook, check whether your old reply rules still work, and recreate them if necessary.
- For Gmail, Yahoo or iCloud accounts, the new Outlook does not offer rules. You set up automatic replies for these addresses directly with the respective provider.
You can build rules with conditions and exceptions step by step in the lesson on rules in the Outlook course.
Microsoft published the announcement in the message center on October 12, 2026, and updated the schedule on October 26, 2026.
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