How to Export Outlook Rules Before Rebuilding Profile

When you rebuild an Outlook profile to fix corruption or performance issues, all your email rules are lost unless you export them first. Outlook stores rules locally in the profile, not on the server, so a new profile starts with no rules. This article explains how to export your Outlook rules to a file, so you can import them into a fresh profile without re-creating each rule manually.

The export process uses the Rules and Alerts dialog, which saves rules in an RWZ file format. You can then import this file after setting up the new profile. The steps differ slightly between Outlook 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365 versions, but the core method remains the same.

This guide covers the export procedure, what the RWZ file contains, and how to handle rules that do not export correctly.

Why Outlook Rules Are Tied to Your Profile

Outlook stores email rules in a file named Outlook.RWZ, which is located in the user profile folder on your local drive. This file is part of the profile data and is not synced to Exchange Online or IMAP servers. When you delete or rebuild a profile, Windows removes this file along with other profile data.

Server-side rules for Exchange accounts do exist on the server, but they are limited in complexity. Client-only rules that use local conditions such as subject keywords, sender addresses, or custom actions are not stored on the server. If you rebuild your profile without exporting, those client-only rules are gone permanently.

The export function creates a portable copy of all rules in the current profile. The RWZ file can be transferred to another computer or used after a fresh profile installation. However, rules that reference specific accounts or folders that do not exist in the new profile will fail to import.

Steps to Export Outlook Rules Before Rebuilding Profile

Follow these steps while your current profile is still active. Do not delete or modify the profile until the export is complete.

1. Open the Rules and Alerts dialog
   In Outlook, go to the File tab. Click Manage Rules & Alerts in the Info section. The Rules and Alerts dialog opens with the Email Rules tab selected.
2. Start the export process
   Click the Options button in the upper-right area of the dialog. A small menu appears with three choices: Import Rules, Export Rules, and Clear All Rules.
3. Choose Export Rules
   Click Export Rules. A standard Save As dialog opens. Navigate to a location you can find later, such as your Documents folder or a USB drive.
4. Name and save the file
   In the File name field, type a descriptive name such as OutlookRulesBackup. The file format defaults to .RWZ. Click Save. The dialog closes, and Outlook writes the RWZ file to the selected folder.
5. Verify the exported file
   Open the folder where you saved the file. Confirm that a file named OutlookRulesBackup.RWZ exists and has a file size larger than zero bytes. A zero-byte file indicates no rules were exported.
6. Close the Rules and Alerts dialog
   Click OK to close the Rules and Alerts dialog. Your rules are now saved externally and ready for import after the profile rebuild.

After Rebuilding the Profile: Importing the Rules

Once you have created and configured the new Outlook profile with your email account, you can import the saved rules.

1. Open Rules and Alerts in the new profile
   Go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts.
2. Click Options
   In the Rules and Alerts dialog, click Options.
3. Select Import Rules
   Click Import Rules. A file picker dialog opens.
4. Locate the RWZ file
   Browse to the folder where you saved OutlookRulesBackup.RWZ. Select the file and click Open.
5. Confirm the import
   Outlook asks whether you want to replace existing rules or append the imported rules. If this is a new profile with no rules, choose Append. Click OK. The rules are added to the profile.
6. Run the rules manually to test
   Select a rule in the list, then click Run Rules Now to verify it works with your current mailbox.

Limitations and Problems When Exporting Outlook Rules

Export option is grayed out or missing

This occurs when Outlook runs in a restricted environment such as a corporate network with Group Policy settings that disable rule export. Contact your IT administrator. Alternatively, you can copy the Outlook.RWZ file directly from the profile folder at %appdata%\Microsoft\Outlook, but this method requires Outlook to be closed and the profile folder to be accessible.

Rules are not imported after rebuild

If a rule references a specific email account that no longer exists in the new profile, the import skips that rule. For example, a rule that moves messages from a POP3 account to a folder fails if that account is not configured. Before rebuilding, note which rules depend on specific accounts and be prepared to recreate those manually.

RWZ file shows zero bytes

A zero-byte RWZ file means no rules were exported. Open the Rules and Alerts dialog and confirm that at least one rule exists. If rules are present but still export as zero bytes, close Outlook completely, restart it, and try the export again. If the problem persists, your Outlook profile may be corrupted and the rules cannot be exported. In that case, document each rule manually by taking screenshots of the rule conditions and actions.

Exporting Rules in Outlook for Mac vs Windows

Item	Outlook for Windows	Outlook for Mac
Export method	File > Manage Rules & Alerts > Options > Export Rules	Tools > Rules > Export Rules
File format	RWZ	ORULE
Location of saved file	User-selected folder	User-selected folder
Cross-platform compatibility	RWZ files cannot be imported into Outlook for Mac	ORULE files cannot be imported into Outlook for Windows
Maximum rules exported	No hard limit, but performance degrades beyond 200 rules	No hard limit

Outlook for Mac and Outlook for Windows use different file formats for rule export. You cannot transfer rules between the two platforms using the built-in export and import tools. If you switch from Windows to Mac, you must recreate rules manually on the Mac side.

What to Do If Export Fails Completely

If the Export Rules option does not work due to corruption or policy restrictions, you have two alternatives. First, manually document each rule by opening the rule and taking a screenshot or writing down the conditions, actions, and exceptions. Second, if you have access to a second computer with Outlook installed, you can copy the entire Outlook profile folder from %appdata%\Microsoft\Outlook to that computer, open Outlook there, and export the rules from that copy. This workaround requires the same version of Outlook on both machines.

After exporting the rules and rebuilding your profile, you can restore your rules by importing the RWZ file. Test each rule by sending yourself a test message that matches the rule conditions. If a rule does not trigger, check that the account and folder references in the rule still exist in the new profile.

For advanced users, the RWZ file is a plain-text XML file. You can open it in Notepad to inspect rule definitions, but editing the file directly is not supported and may break the import. Always keep the original RWZ file as a backup before making any manual edits.