How to have the Mail app on Mac play a sound when receiving an email with specific text

If you use the Mail app on your Mac, then you know there are some terrific features. And, when it comes to setting up email rules, you have a ton of flexibility. You can automatically move messages, flag them, reply to them, and more by setting up rules.

This tutorial focuses on one certain rule that can be helpful for both personal and business situations. For instance, if you’re waiting on messages for planning a family trip, updating a report, or scheduling a class, you can make sure that you know the second that email arrives.

Here’s how to have Mac Mail play a sound when receiving an email with specific text.

Mail app rule for sound alert on Mac when getting email with specific text

Create your Mail rule

1) Open the Mail app, click Mail from your menu bar, and select Settings or Preferences.

2) Choose the Rules tab in the pop-up window.

3) Click Add Rule.

Mail App Mac Add Rule to Play Sound

4) For Description, give your rule a name.

5) For If, select Any.

6) In the first set of boxes under If, select Message content in the first one, contains in the second one, and type in your word or phrase in the third one.

7) For Perform the following actions, select Play Sound in the first drop-down and then choose the sound you want in the second box.

New Condition Mail App Mac Play Sound

8) Click OK. You will then see a pop-up message asking if the rule should be applied to emails in your inbox. You can click Don’t Apply since the point is to hear the sound when the emails arrive.

Now, whenever you receive an email that contains the word or phrase you entered, you should hear the sound that you picked.

Add more conditions

The rule you set up should work great, but what happens if you want more filters? For example, maybe you only want to hear the sound when receiving an update for Project X and not for all emails related to the project. You can set up more conditions.

Open your Mail Preferences, select Rules, click on the Rule you created and choose Edit. Then, follow these steps:

1) For If, select All. Note this is key so that the Mail app will apply the action when both conditions are met.

2) In the set of boxes under If, click the plus sign to add another condition.

3) In the new set of boxes, select Message content in the first one, contains in the second one, and type in your word or phrase in the third one.

4) Click OK.

Additional Conditions Mail App Mac

Now, you should only hear the sound you set up when both Project X and update are within the message content.

With the flexibility and various options that the Mail app provides when setting up rules, there is no reason to miss an important message as soon as it arrives. Do you find rules like these for the Mail app helpful, or have you run into difficulties setting up rules? Let us know!

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