I delete unknown Outlook rules but they return back

Lt. Columbo 311

Hi guys,

A user has huge number of rules in Outlook she never created herself and doesn't know where they come from.

I delete them but in a few seconds they return back.
If anyone ever come across something similar please advise how to get rid of those rules permanently.

Thank you.

2 answers

ChristyZhang-MSFT 20,801 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2021-09-06T05:50:20.347+00:00

Hi @Lt. Columbo ,

Welcome to our forum!

Does the issue occur recently? If so, did the user perform any special operations before that?
And are other users in your organization experiencing the same situation?
What's type of your account?(POP/IMAP/Exchange)

If you are using an Exchange account, considering the synchronization problem between web mail and Outlook client, please try logging in to web mail, check whether these rules exist and delete them, and then check if the issue still occur in Outlook client.

According to the screenshot you provided, I noticed that those rules seem to be related to Stellarite or Adobe. Considering the impact of some related programs or add ins, it's suggested that you could try to check and close the related programs on the current computer. Then start outlook in safe mode(win+R>type: outlook /safe) and delete those rules again to check if there're any differences.

If the issue still occur in safe mode, agree with DomagojNovak, considering the damage of the profile, it is suggested that you could try to create a new profile(control panel>mail>show profile>add) and add the account for testing to check if there are some differences.

Hope the above help. If your issue has any update, please feel free to post back.

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1 person found this answer helpful.
ChristyZhang-MSFT 20,801 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2021-09-09T08:12:41.163+00:00

Hi @Lt. Columbo ,

I am writing to see if there is any progress on the issue. If you have any questions or need further help on this, feel free to post back.

Lt. Columbo 311 Reputation points

2021-09-12T05:03:29.097+00:00

Hi @ChristyZhang-MSFT ,

The account type is Exchange Online.
Tried to create new Outlook profile - didn't help.
Tried to create new computer profile and Outlook profile - didn't work.
Tried to disable (deselect) all COM Add-Ins - didn't help.

ChristyZhang-MSFT 20,801 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2021-09-13T09:49:07.717+00:00

Hi @Lt. Columbo ,

Thanks for your reply!

In order to further confirm the problem, would you mind providing information about the following questions I mentioned in my previous post?

Does the issue occur recently? If so, did the user perform any special operations before that?

Do other users around you have the same problem?

And did you try to log in to your account on Web mail, check whether these rules exist? If the rules indeed exists, please delete them, and then check if the issue still occur in Outlook client.

In additon, i noticed that you tried to disable (deselect) all COM Add-Ins. Please try to start outlook in safe mode(win+R>type: outlook /safe), which not only all add ins are disabled, but also some possible influencing factors such as reading pane. And delete those rules again to check if there're any differences.

ChristyZhang-MSFT 20,801 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2021-09-16T07:59:28.127+00:00

Hi @Lt. Columbo ,

I am writing to see if there is any progress on the issue. If you have any questions or need further help on this, feel free to post back.

Lt. Columbo 311 Reputation points

2021-09-24T11:12:22.977+00:00

Hi @ChristyZhang-MSFT ,

Thanks for following up.
Interestingly but none of the other users working on the same terminal server have the same problem.
I tried to connect to Office 365 via PowerShell and remove inbox rules from there but they are still return back.

ChristyZhang-MSFT 20,801 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2021-09-27T08:07:55.643+00:00

Hi @Lt. Columbo ,

Thanks for your reply!

I noticed that this issue only occur in a specific user, it's suggested try to log in to your account on web mail. If the rules indeed exists, please delete them, and then check if the issue still occur in Outlook client. If the deleted rules still appear in web mail and client, there may be a problem with your mailbox server. It is recommended to contact your administrator to check whether there are any exceptions on the server.

If these rules do not appear in web mail, please check whether the client of this user is different from that of other users, such as client version, installed third-party programs, etc.

Lt. Columbo 311 Reputation points

2021-10-13T06:30:33.64+00:00

Hi @ChristyZhang-MSFT ,

I tried to delete rules from web Outlook but they come back anyway.
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Domagoj Novak 586 Reputation points

2021-09-04T12:04:47.957+00:00

Hi,

You can export rules that user needs and then start Outlook through Windows Run (win key + R) with a switch to clean rules:

outlook.exe /cleanclientrules

If rules are deleted, import the previously exported rules.

If this doesn't work, I suggest exporting needed rules, recreating outlook profile and importing the rules again.

I hope this helps you out.

Kind regards,
Domagoj
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Lt. Columbo 311 Reputation points

2021-09-05T21:02:53.513+00:00

I tried outlook /cleanclientrules but it didn't help.

Domagoj Novak 586 Reputation points

2021-09-05T21:18:05.71+00:00

I would suggest then, just like I mentioned in the answer above, to create a new Outlook profile.

Simon Guettier 6 Reputation points

2022-12-14T08:53:33.9+00:00

This drove me mad for ages - rules deleted in Outlook would continue running on an email account.
Here's what I found - the same may apply to your account:
It seems that when I created a rule in Outlook a copy was sent to the email host of the account as well. So, even though I deleted the Outlook rule, the rule was still being followed at the external host.
So, go via webmail to the account you're having problems with and see if the rule still exists there - in my case it was hiding under the 'filters' settings.
I deleted it there and the rule went away.

Art Lee 0 Reputation points

2024-01-29T23:33:45.4566667+00:00

after creating another profile it still comes back without import. you dont know anything about this at all

Caonabo Jaquez N 0 Reputation points

2024-04-05T16:57:40.4333333+00:00

Hi @Simon Guettier ,

Where exactly can I find the "Filters" Settings in Outlook Web?

I can't find it.

Thanks,
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