Hey there!
Welcome back to another edition of the 🧭 Microsoft 365 Compass Newsletter 🧭 — your guide to getting more done with Microsoft 365, one tip at a time.
This time, we’re spotlighting another built-in SharePoint gem that flies under the radar: List Rules — an easy way to automate actions like sending email notifications based on changes in your list — all without opening Power Automate.
It’s a simple way to keep your team in the loop, track critical updates, and make your lists work smarter for you.
No complex flows, no coding — just a few clicks!
Let’s take a closer look at how it works and how you can start using it today.
What Are SharePoint List Rules?
SharePoint List Rules let you automatically trigger actions when something happens in your list or library. Think of it like a built-in “if this happens, then do that” setup — simple, fast, and incredibly useful.
For example:
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Send an email when a new critical issue is added.
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Alert yourself when someone changes a status from "In Progress" to "Blocked."
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Notify an assigned team member instantly when a task is assigned to them.
It’s one of the easiest ways to automate notifications and keep your projects running smoothly.
Real-World Use Cases
Here are a few ways you might use List Rules:
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Issue Tracking: Notify the assigned person when a new critical issue is created (like I’ll show you below!).
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Project Management: Alert the project owner when a task’s priority is downgraded or upgraded.
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Customer Support: Ping a service manager when a high-priority support ticket is logged.
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Content Reviews: Remind a reviewer when a document’s status changes to "Ready for Review."
Once you set it up, you don’t have to worry about missing important updates ever again.
How to Set Up a SharePoint List Rule
Follow these steps to quickly set up a SharePoint List rule:
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In Microsoft Lists, SharePoint, or Teams, open the list where you want to create your rule.
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Click the Automate button, select Rules, and then choose Create a Rule.
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Select the trigger you want to use: When an item is created, modified, or deleted. (In this example, I selected When an item is created.)
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Click the bolded text in the rule builder to configure your conditions.
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Choose whether you want the rule to fire Always or based on an If Condition. In this case, I chose If (condition) to only trigger when the priority is Critical.
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Populate the condition fields:
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Choose a column: Select Priority.
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Choose a condition: Set it to is.
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Choose a value: Set it to Critical.
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Populate the notification field:
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Click where it says Send an Email To and select the Assigned To column from your suggested fields.
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Click Create to save your rule.
Now whenever a Critical priority item is created and assigned to someone, SharePoint will automatically send an email notification to the Assigned To person — no Power Automate needed!
🚀 Final Thoughts
And that’s how you can easily create automation inside a SharePoint list — no Power Automate required!
In my experience, this is a great “lightweight” solution for teams that just need simple, real-time updates without the overhead of building full workflows.
Of course, if you ever outgrow the basic rules, you can always level up with Power Automate later!
I’d love to hear from you: 👉 Are you already using List Rules today? 👉 What kinds of automations would you love to set up in your lists? 👉 Would you want me to create a quick video tutorial showing this in action?
Hit reply and let me know!
(Seriously, I love hearing how you’re putting these tips into action.)
Until next time,
— Lui
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