Do you feel tired of getting many junk emails every day? Do you feel frustrated when real messages get marked as spam? In this quick guide, I will show you how to improve the Outlook spam filter to protect your inbox from unwanted emails.
In 2023, about 160 billion spam emails get sent each day. This makes up 45.6% of all email traffic. That is a huge number of spam. Without good inbox protection, these junk emails can quickly take over.
On average, I receive 5 to 10 junk emails each day. I do not see these messages very often. Most email service providers have filters that find spam and send them to a special folder.
Microsoft Outlook has features to keep your inbox clean and organized. Still, the Outlook spam filter is not perfect. Sometimes, spam messages can still get through.
At the same time, real emails sometimes get caught by the Outlook filter. This keeps them from reaching your inbox. In this article, I will show you how to improve the Outlook spam filter to keep spammers away.
Here is what I will cover:
Are you ready to start? Let us begin.
Like many email service providers, Outlook has a built-in spam filter. This feature helps protect users from unwanted emails and dangers like malware.
The Outlook spam filter is the first way to stop junk mail. It looks at incoming messages and uses different rules, like the sender’s reputation, to decide if an email is real or spam. When an email gets caught by the spam filter, Outlook moves it to a folder called Junk Email. This helps you keep your main mailbox clean and secure and reach inbox zero. It also helps you to stay organized.
Outlook’s spam filter protects you from unwanted emails. This is important for good email hygiene. It also helps you work better by saving time. You do not need to look through a lot of unwanted messages.
The Outlook spam filter checks incoming emails. It uses different ways to find out which emails are spam. Here are some main things Microsoft looks at:
Content Analysis: The filter looks at the message content. It searches for things like ALL CAPS, too many exclamation marks (!!!), spam words, and unsafe links.
Sender Reputation: Outlook checks the sender’s email reputation. This looks at past actions and other things. It includes checking if the domain is good if it is on a blacklist and the number of complaints.
User-Defined Rules: You can change the spam filter settings in Outlook. You can also make rules to block unwanted emails that have certain words in the subject line.
Safe Senders and Blocked Senders: The filter sees if you added the sender to your safe senders list. This means the email will not be marked as spam. It also checks if you blocked the sender.
User Feedback: When you mark an email as spam, Outlook uses this information. This helps to make the spam filter better. Feedback from Outlook’s huge number of users helps improve accuracy.
Outlook also uses smart ways, like heuristics and machine learning. These methods help the spam filter grow and fight new spam threats.
To make using Outlook better, it also has another filter. This filter sorts messages and divides your inbox into two tabs:
Focused: This tab has important emails from people you trust. This part of your inbox is the most important. Check your focused inbox regularly. This helps you avoid missing important messages.
Other: The other tab holds emails. These emails are not spam or junk. They are not very important either. It is like the promotions tab in Gmail. Less important emails are organized there.
Now you understand how the Outlook spam filter works. You can change the settings. You can also create rules to make it work better.
To keep spam messages out of your inbox, you can change the settings of your Outlook spam filter. You can mark emails as spam. You can block senders. You can create rules or whitelist senders. Here is how to do each:
You can set up your spam filter. This lets you block any senders you do not approve of. This gives you good spam protection. Be careful. This may also block real senders.
Step 1: Sign in to Outlook.
Step 2: Open Settings.
Step 3: Go to Email and then Junk Email. You can choose how Outlook should treat new messages. Microsoft offers two choices:
• Standard: Possible junk mail goes to the Junk Email folder.
• Strict: Only emails from your safe senders list are allowed. You can block attachments, pictures, and links from senders you do not recognize.
Step 4: Click Save when you are happy with your settings.
Changing your Outlook spam filter helps keep spam out. But remember, it might block real emails, too.
Sometimes, spam messages still get through. Spammers sometimes change their tactics. You can help improve the filter. You can mark unwanted emails as spam. This gives Microsoft data to make the filter better.
Here is how to mark emails as spam in Outlook:
Step 1: Go to Outlook.
Step 2: Open the email you want to report as spam.
Step 3: Click the arrow next to Report. Choose Report Junk.
Step 4: Confirm by clicking Report. Unsubscribe.
Outlook will move this email to your spam folder. This improves the accuracy of the spam filter. It tries to unsubscribe you from the sender’s list.
If you still get unwanted emails, block the sender. This is a permanent solution.
Steps to block unwanted emails in Outlook:
Step 1: Log in to your Outlook account.
Step 2: Open the email from the sender you want to block.
Step 3: Click on More Options. Then click Block and select Block Sender.
Step 4: Confirm by clicking OK.
Blocking a sender means Outlook will delete the email. It will also block future messages from that address. This helps to keep your inbox safer, cleaner, and quieter.
Blocking senders may not be enough. Spammers can easily create new email addresses. To fight spam better, you can automate your email management. You can set up specific rules. This Outlook feature allows you to create filters. These filters will protect your inbox from junk emails, malware, and phishing attempts.
Follow these steps to create spam-filtering rules in Outlook:
Step 1: Open Outlook.
Step 2: Go to Settings.
Step 3: Choose Mail, then Rules, and Create a new rule.
Step 4: Name your rule and set a condition. Choose Mark as Junk under Add an Action.
Step 5: Activate the rule by choosing Run rule now and click Save.
With your new rule, you will add more protection against spam. Be careful not to set rules that mark real emails as junk.
If Outlook sends real emails to your spam folder, you can fix this problem. You can whitelist specific senders using the Safe Senders list. This feature helps your spam filter work better. Here is how you add senders to this list:
Step 1: Open Outlook.
Step 2: Find a message from the sender you want to whitelist.
Step 3: Select More actions, then Block, then Never Block the sender.
Step 4: Click OK to confirm.
Now, this email address is on your Safe Senders list. Future messages from this sender will go directly to your inbox. You will not miss important emails from them.
We have talked about ways to protect your inbox from spam. It is also important to make sure your outgoing emails are not marked as junk.
Choose a Clear Sender Name: Do not use unclear or strange email addresses. Make sure your sender name and email address are clear and easy to recognize. This helps your recipients know your messages.
Craft Precise Subject Lines: Make your subject lines clear. They should match the email content. Do not use misleading language that can make your email look like spam.
Steer Clear of Spam Trigger Words: Do not use words related to spam. Words like “free,” “winner,” “urgent,” or “money-back guarantee” can look suspicious. Use tools to find and remove these words in your emails.
Maintain a Text-to-Image Balance: Spammers use more images than text. To avoid this, keep a good balance between text and images in your emails.
Personalize Your Emails: Use tools to add recipient names and personal touches to your emails. Emails that feel generic are more likely to be marked as spam.
Provide an Unsubscribe Option: You should provide an unsubscribe option. Always include a way for people to unsubscribe from future emails. This helps you follow the law. It also reduces the chance that people mark your emails as spam.
Implement Email Authentication: You must implement email authentication. Use methods like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to check your domain. This helps to verify that your emails are real. It also builds trust with email providers. This minimizes the risk that your emails become spam.
Distribute Emails Gradually: You should distribute emails gradually. Do not send many emails at the same time. This can make spam filters go off. Tools can help you manage and space out your email sending. This will help you to look like a normal sender.
For more tips on improving email deliverability, you can check our guide. This guide will help your messages avoid spam filters. You can also send personalized emails from Outlook. You need to keep your sender’s reputation strong.
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