Chapter 13. Automate Mail with Rules

Mail applies rules (sometimes called filters) automatically to incoming messages. Among other things, rules can highlight messages or move them to specific mailboxes based on criteria like the name of the sender or the nature of the message content. For example, you can sort messages from mailing lists into a mailbox you only check when you have time, while highlighting messages from your boss in a special color.

Because they are so powerful, rules are one of my favorite Mail features. The rest of this section includes a quick primer on creating rules, along with a few examples and tips.