Outlook.com rolls out advanced rules, undo, in-line reply, and more in new update

Microsoft is rolling out an update to Outlook.com over the next few weeks, adding a few new features making the service just a tad bit better to use. These new features build on Microsoft’s commitment to give your inbox new and better ways to work more and save time.

“When it comes to getting organized, Outlook.com has you covered. Starting today, we are releasing Advanced Rules and three other features, all to help you keep your inbox in top shape and make it even easier to see the email that matters to you,” Microsoft stated in an official blog post.

Microsoft has added Advanced Rules to Outlook.com, allowing you to have more control over how your emails are sorted, filed, or placed at the top of your inbox. Users can create multi-condition and multi-action rules, and even combine rules together. Optional conditions include: time constraints, email tallying, checking read/unread state of emails, and checking if the sender is a contact you know.

Here is an example of a rule: “If an unread email is older than 3 days and is from one of your contacts, mark it as important and flag it.”

Microsoft has also added the undo feature to Outlook.com. Users who delete, categorize, flag, mark as junk, or move can now undo by clicking the undo button or by typing Ctrl+Z. In-line reply allows you to directly respond to an email thread without having to launch a new view. This new feature is intended to save you time and help you track your conversations with ease.

The following improvements were also made:

• Find recent conversations and other contacts you can chat with in the bottom left of your inbox. One click will launch you straight into a conversation with them.
• If you’re chatting with a friend on one service, but want to continue the talk on another service, now you can switch over from right inside the chat session.
• You can now browse your People by filtering what service they’re using (Skype, Facebook etc.). You can even see who’s currently available–Icons will now appear alongside names, so you know who’s able to Video, Call or just chat.