Set up a notification rule in Teams for emails from one sender
You can configure Microsoft Teams to send you a ping — a desktop notification and sound alert — whenever an email arrives from a particular address. This works through Teams' integration with Outlook, and the setup happens in Outlook itself, not in Teams. The notification appears on your screen and in Teams even if you are working in another program.
The process takes about two minutes and requires that your work or school account uses Outlook on the web or the Outlook desktop app. Personal Microsoft accounts and Gmail accounts cannot use this feature because they do not connect to Teams' notification system the same way.
You do not need to be a Teams administrator. Any user can set this up for their own account.
Key Takeaways
- Email notifications in Teams come from Outlook rules, which you create in Outlook on the web or the Outlook desktop app, not in Teams itself.
- The rule must use the "alert" action to trigger a Teams ping; a rule that only marks the email as read or moves it will not notify you.
- You can set up separate rules for different senders, so urgent emails from your manager ping you while routine messages do not.
- The notification appears as a Teams alert even if Teams is minimized, and you can click it to jump directly to the email in Outlook.
Create the rule in Outlook on the web
Open Outlook on the web in your browser and sign in with your work or school account. Select the gear icon in the top right corner, then choose "View all Outlook settings." Click "Mail" in the left sidebar, then "Rules." Select "Add new rule."
In the "Name" field, type a description like "Alert for emails from boss@company.com." Under "When the message arrives," select "From" and enter the email address you want to monitor. You can add multiple addresses by selecting "From" again and entering another address — the rule will trigger if mail comes from any of them.
Under "Do the following," select "Alert me" from the dropdown menu. This is the critical step — other actions like "Move to folder" or "Mark as read" will not send a Teams notification. Once you select "Alert me," the rule is complete. Click "Save" at the bottom of the screen.
The rule takes effect when ready. The next email from that address will trigger a Teams ping on your computer.
Create the rule in Outlook desktop app
If you use the Outlook desktop process on Windows or Mac, the process is similar but the menu locations differ. Open Outlook and go to the "Home" tab at the top. Select "Rules" (on Windows) or "Tools" then "Rules" (on Mac), then choose "Manage Rules & Alerts."
Click "New Rule" and select "explore rule on messages I receive." Click "Next." Under "Which condition(s) do you want to check?", select the checkbox next to "From." In the text field below, type the email address you want to monitor. Click "Next."
Under "What do you want to do with the message?", select the checkbox next to "Display a Desktop Alert." This is the action that sends a notification to Teams. You can also check "Play a sound" if you want an audio alert. Click "Next," then "Finish."
Close the Rules dialog. The rule is now active and will notify you the next time an email arrives from that sender.
What happens when the rule triggers
When an email from the monitored address arrives, you see a Teams notification on your screen — a small popup window in the corner of your desktop. The notification shows the sender's name and the subject line. If you have sound alerts enabled, you also hear a chime or beep.
Click the notification to open the email directly in Outlook. If you do not click it, the notification disappears after a few seconds, but the email remains in your inbox. The rule does not move, delete, or change the email — it only alerts you that it arrived.
If Teams is closed, the notification still appears when you open Teams next. If you are in a meeting or on a call, the notification may appear behind other windows, but you will still hear the sound alert if you enabled it.
Monitor multiple senders with separate rules
You can create as many rules as you need, each with its own sender and alert settings. This is useful if you want to be notified when ready when your manager emails you, but not when routine messages arrive from a shared inbox or mailing list.
To create a second rule, repeat the steps above and enter a different email address. You can also use wildcards in Outlook on the web — for example, entering "department@company.com" will alert you for any address ending in that domain. In the Outlook desktop app, wildcards work the same way.
If you want to stop being alerted by a particular sender, go back to Rules and delete that rule. The emails will still arrive in your inbox, but you will no longer receive a notification.
Troubleshooting: Why you might not see the notification
If you create a rule but do not receive a notification when an email arrives, check that you selected "Alert me" (Outlook on the web) or "Display a Desktop Alert" (Outlook desktop app). Rules that only move or mark emails will not trigger a Teams ping.
Verify that your work or school account is connected to Teams. Personal Microsoft accounts and Gmail accounts do not support this feature. If you are using a personal account, you will need to use a different notification method, such as Outlook's built-in notification settings.
Make sure Teams is running on your computer. The notification appears in Teams, so if the process is not open, you will not see it until you launch Teams. However, the notification will still be waiting for you when you open the app.
If the rule was created in Outlook on the web, it may take a few minutes to sync to your other devices. Try sending a test email from the monitored address to confirm the rule is working.
Use rules alongside Teams' built-in notifications
Teams also has its own notification settings that control how you are alerted to messages within Teams itself — not emails from Outlook. You can use both systems together: email rules for Outlook messages and Teams notification settings for chat and channel messages.
To adjust how Teams notifies you about messages within the app, open Teams, select your profile picture in the top right, choose "Settings," then "Notifications." You can set different alert levels for direct messages, mentions, and channel activity.
Email rules and Teams notification settings work independently, so configuring one does not affect the other. This gives you fine control over which types of communication get your when ready attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I set up a rule that pings me only during work hours?
Outlook rules do not have built-in time-based conditions in the standard interface. However, you can create multiple rules for the same sender and use different actions — for example, one rule that alerts you during the day and another that moves emails to a folder at night. For more complex scheduling, you may need to use Microsoft Power Automate, which requires additional setup.
What if the sender's email address changes or they use multiple addresses?
Create a separate rule for each address you want to monitor. In Outlook on the web, you can also use a wildcard pattern — for example, "john*@company.com" will match john.smith@company.com, john.doe@company.com, and similar variations. Test the pattern by sending a test email to confirm it works.
Will the rule notify me if I am already reading the email in Outlook?
The notification triggers when the email arrives on the server, not when you open it. If you are already reading the email in Outlook when it arrives, you will still see the Teams notification. You can click it to confirm the message, or dismiss it if you are already viewing it.
Can I set up rules for emails from a shared mailbox or distribution list?
Yes. Enter the shared mailbox address or the distribution list address in the "From" field just as you would for an individual sender. The rule will trigger for any email sent from that address, regardless of who actually composed it.
Do I need to be connected to the company network for the rule to work?
No. The rule runs on the mail server, not on your computer, so it works whether you are in the office, at home, or anywhere else with an internet connection. The notification appears on whichever device has Teams open.