Spam in junk mail

Question

Spam in junk mail

Barbara Olson 0

Hello! I am having 25+ emails hitting my junk mail folder each day and need to know what settings to increase to stop getting so many emails. Also, some of my normal every day emails are going there.

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Hi @Barbara Olson

Receiving that many unwanted messages every day can certainly be frustrating, especially when legitimate emails are also being filtered incorrectly.

Since you are using Outlook.com on the web, there is no adjustable filter level to increase. The Junk Email folder is where Outlook places messages already identified as suspicious.

For legitimate messages found there, select the email and choose Report > Not junk. You can also open Settings > Mail > Junk email, then:

Add trusted addresses under Safe senders and domains.
Check Blocked senders and domains and remove any trusted address listed there by mistake.
Report suspicious messages as junk or phishing rather than replying or using their unsubscribe links.

Please avoid creating broad deletion rules, as they could also remove genuine messages. Junk Email is automatically retained for 30 days, so reviewing the folder periodically is recommended.

You may also refer to Filter junk email and spam in Outlook.

I hope this helps you better manage the unwanted messages while protecting important email.

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Answer 2

Outlook.com has no setting that stops spam from being delivered to the Junk Email folder; protect legitimate mail with Not junk and Safe senders, then use narrowly targeted rules only if recurring spam makes the folder unmanageable.

Keep legitimate email out of Junk

For each legitimate message that was misclassified:

Open Outlook.com → Junk Email.
Select the legitimate message.
Select It’s not junk. This moves it out of Junk and provides feedback to Outlook.com’s filtering service.
Go to Settings → Mail → Junk email.
Under Safe senders and domains, select Add safe sender.
Enter the sender’s complete email address, select OK, and then Save. Messages from listed addresses or domains should not be moved to Junk.^1^^2^

Add the individual address rather than an entire domain unless every sender at that domain is trusted. Also check Blocked senders and domains on the same settings page and remove any legitimate sender entered accidentally.

Manage the unwanted messages

The Junk folder is doing its intended job: Outlook’s filter moves suspected spam there rather than preventing senders from attempting delivery. Likewise, adding an address or domain to Blocked senders moves matching messages to Junk—it will not reduce the number already arriving there.^3^

Use these options:

Suspicious or fraudulent mail: Select the message and choose Report → Report phishing. Do not reply, open attachments, click links, or use an unsubscribe link in a suspicious message.
Legitimate newsletters: Use the sender’s unsubscribe option only when the message and sender are clearly genuine.
Repeated sender domain or exact subject phrase: Create a narrow rule:
1. Go to Settings → Mail → Rules.
2. Select Add new rule.
3. Match an exact sender domain, distinctive exact subject phrase, or another consistently repeated pattern.
4. Initially set the action to Move to a separate review folder.
5. Add exceptions for trusted senders where necessary, and save.
6. After confirming that the rule catches only spam, change its action to Delete if desired.^4^

Automatic deletion can hide legitimate messages, so avoid broad keyword rules and test with a separate folder first. Rules and blocked-sender entries manage where messages go; they generally do not stop mail from being sent to the account.

If the volume remains unmanageable, sign in to the affected Outlook.com account, select Help, search for the problem, and then select Still need help? → Yes to contact Outlook.com support.^1^

References