Can't add new rules, can't access page to manage rules

Anonymous

I started adding a lot of rules to my account on Outlook.com. The rules I have set up are working fine. But now when trying to add any new rules it's failing and when I go to Settings>Manage Rules I go to a blank page with an error message.

Details:

Adding new rule. Right-click on a message>Create Rule. Dialog comes up, I'm able to fill in all fields and click Apply/Okay:

- I get a message at the top of the screen stating "Sorry, Outlook.com wasn’t able to complete this request." at some point while filling in the fields.

- When clicking on Apply/Okay I then get red text at the bottom of the dialog stating "Unable to cast object of type ‘Microsoft.Msn.Hotmail.FDCommon.Data.Xfs.XfsException’ to type ‘Microsoft.Msn.Hotmail.InboundMail.MailRules’."

Going to Settings>Manage Rules:

- I get to the settings page, but none of my rules (The ones that still function normally when receiving mails) are present and there's a message at the top of the screen stating "Something happened at our end. Please refresh your browser or close it and sign in again."

- When trying to create a new rule within this page, I get the same error as when on the main page stating "Unable to cast object of type ‘Microsoft.Msn.Hotmail.FDCommon.Data.Xfs.XfsException’ to type ‘Microsoft.Msn.Hotmail.InboundMail.MailRules’."

Have I hit some limit on the amount of rules Outlook is able to process? I have created a lot of them, over a page of rules, all of them just moving stuff into folders based on sender name.

Is there a way to clear my rules so I can start again?

Have tried this on the following operating systems and browsers: Windows 7 Professional, OSX 10.11.2, Safari 9.0.2, Internet Explorer 9, Firefox 43.0.1 (and at least one earlier version), adblockers and virus/malware checkers all disabled at some point in case that was an issue.

Also, tried the above steps on my girlfriend's account (which has no rules set up yet) and it works fine. Can create new rules, and access the manage rules page fine.

What can I do?

If I can't access the Mange Rules page to delete some rules that might be causing this, then I need someone from Outlook.com support to do something right?

Cheers.

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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109 answers

Anonymous

2016-02-01T19:10:33+00:00

I removed folder before removing rule redirecting to this folder and it started to happen that time. I followed suggestion "Ooloo Roo" wrote and moved all my e-mails from folders back to inbox and then deleted all the folders I had. But this didn't help.

That's how it started for me too! As stated in my earlier post, I asked a question and then I received a reply from a Microsoft Support Engineer requesting details in a private message. I have given them the details and It's been a while since I heard anything.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook_com/forum/oemail-ocleanup/receiving-error-when-trying-to-manage-or-create/5ff06570-5e8a-4093-afc6-a2100631cd48

Also tried removing all the folders as "Ooloo Roo" suggested but I'cant still access my Rules.

I'm waiting to see an official stand on this position by Microsoft and an acknowledgement of the issue. I hope they are working and will let us know when our accounts are returned back to normal.
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Anonymous

2016-02-02T00:30:52+00:00

Hallelujah! I finally got into MANAGE RULES today after over two months of exclusion. I had about 250 last time I checked, but only have 145 now. I did have a lot of duplicates and old format rules. Surprisingly, at least two of the old format rules survived the cleanup and are still uneditable. I have been accumulating rules for about 20 years!

I never did get that private message.
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Anonymous

2016-02-02T06:18:40+00:00

Me the same! I haven't got this private message either. I was left with 12 rules, previously had about 20. Those dispatching to deleted folders were removed.

Thanks

Peter
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Anonymous

2016-02-02T17:30:17+00:00
Hi Peter,

We appreciate your time and effort for getting back to us.

I suggest you to check if the Junk email filter is set to Exclusive.

Follow the below steps:
1. Log in to your account
Once your Inbox contents are shown, click the gear icon right beside your account name found on the upper right hand corner
1. Select Options in the drop-down menu
2. Right under "Preventing junk email", choose Filter and Reporting
3. Select Exclusive option.
Please feel free to contact us, if you need any further help we would be glad to assist you.
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Anonymous

2016-02-02T19:21:01+00:00

While my account is now fixed an I am able to use my Rules interface, the process of fixing accounts individually is not really a good option.

I really think that Microsoft guys should consider such issues seriously. You should escalate this issue to the concerned development team and they should fix it in the code rather than picking accounts and fix them.
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