How to Use Thunderbird 3: Running a Filter Manually

When you create a message filter in Thunderbird, by default your filter will run (be executed) automatically. However, you can run the filter manually at any time.

By default, Thunderbird will check all your new messages if the option to run the filter automatically is selected. However, if you run the filter manually, Thunderbird will check your existing messages in the folder you specify (you can run the filter in any of your mail folders).

In the example below, the filter "Move Spring Registration Mail" will be run.

 

1. In Thunderbird, select Message Filters from the Tools menu.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. In the Message Filters window, perform the following:
   1. Select the filter you want to run.
   2. Select the folder for which you want Thunderbird to run the filter from the Run selected filter(s) on drop-down list.
   3. Click on the Run Now button.

3. Close the Message Filters window by clicking on the X button located in the upper right hand corner of the window.
   
   
4. Navigate to the folder in which Thunderbird ran the filter. (In the example below, the folder is "My Spring Registration Stuff.")
   
   
   
   
   As shown above, a message that was already in the Inbox matched the conditions specifed in the filter (the message contained the key words "spring registration"). Therefore, as specified in the filter, the message was moved to the folder "My Spring Registration Stuff."