Plesk lets you create email filters (also called mail rules) to automatically sort, forward, or manage incoming messages. This is useful for organising newsletters, filtering spam, or redirecting specific emails.

### How to create an email filter

1. Log in to **Plesk**.
2. Go to **Mail** → click the email address you want to add a filter to.
3. Click the **Filters** tab.
4. Click **Add Filter**.
5. Enter a **filter name** to identify the rule.
6. Set the **conditions** — choose which part of the message to check (From, To, Subject, etc.) and the matching criteria (contains, is equal to, etc.).
7. Set the **action** — what happens when a message matches (move to folder, redirect, delete, etc.).
8. Click **OK**.

### Available filter actions

- **Move to folder** — automatically sorts the email into a specific mailbox folder.
- **Redirect to** — forwards the email to another address.
- **Delete** — removes the message automatically.
- **Mark as read** — marks the message as already read.
- **Reply with** — sends an automatic reply to the sender.

You can combine multiple conditions using **all conditions** (AND) or **any condition** (OR) logic.

### Editing or removing a filter

1. Go to **Mail** → click the email address → **Filters** tab.
2. Click the filter name to edit it, or select the checkbox and click **Remove** to delete it.

Filters are processed in the order they appear. Use the **Move Up** / **Move Down** buttons to change priority.

### Server-wide mail filters (admins only)

Administrators can create filters that apply to all mailboxes on the server:

1. Go to **Tools & Settings** → **Mail Server Settings**.
2. Click **Filters** and add a server-wide rule.

Server-wide filters run before individual mailbox filters.

### Important notes

- Filters only apply to **new incoming messages** — they don't process existing emails in your mailbox.
- If you use an external email client (Outlook, Thunderbird), Plesk filters run on the server **before** your client downloads the message.
- Too many redirect filters can cause mail loops. Avoid redirecting to addresses that redirect back.
- SpamAssassin is separate from mail filters. Configure spam filtering under the **Spam Filter** settings for the mailbox.

### Troubleshooting

- **Filter not working:** Check that the condition matches exactly. Email headers are case-sensitive in some configurations. Test with a simple "Subject contains" rule first.
- **Filters tab missing:** Your hosting plan may not include mail filtering. Contact your provider.
- **Emails still appearing in inbox:** Check filter order — an earlier filter may be catching the message first. Also verify the action is set correctly.

Need help? [Contact our support team](https://www.allanuxweb.com/submitticket.php).

### Related Guides

- [Set up spam filtering](/hc/help/en/articles/how-to-set-up-spam-filtering-in-plesk)
- [Add an auto-reply](/hc/help/en/articles/how-to-set-up-an-auto-reply-in-plesk)
- [Route aliases](/hc/help/en/articles/how-to-create-email-aliases-in-plesk)