Overview of Junk Mail Filter

No one likes spam or junk email. The Outlook 2013 Junk Email filter doesn't stop delivery of junk email messages, but does the next best thing - it moves suspected spam to the Junk Email folder.

We recommend you regularly review messages in the Junk Email folder to check for legitimate messages that were incorrectly classified as junk. If you find a message that isn't junk, drag it back to the Inbox or any other folder. You can also mark the item as not junk by doing the following: Select Home > Junk > Not Junk.

By default, the Junk Email filter is turned on and the protection level is set to "No Automatic Filtering." You can make the filter more aggressive by changing the level of protection that it provides. The Junk Email filter evaluates each incoming message based on several factors. These can include the time when the message was sent and the content of the message

To change the options for the Junk Email filter, do the following: Select Home > Junk > Junk Email Options

Junk Email Filter Lists

While the Junk Email filter checks your incoming messages automatically, Junk Email filter lists let you control what is considered spam. You can add names, email addresses, and domains to these lists so the filter doesn't check messages from sources you trust, or block messages that arrive from specific email and addresses and domains you don't know or trust.

Safe Senders List

Email addresses and domain names in the Safe Senders list are never treated as junk email, regardless of the content of the message. You can add your contacts and other correspondents to this list. If you use an Office 365 account, all names and addresses in the global address list (GAL) are automatically considered safe.

Note: All voicemail to Email users, please make sure that you add the voicemail domain to your Safe Senders list so that your voicemails will be delivered to your Inbox and not to your Junk Email folder. The domain that needs to be entered is "voicemail.usm.edu."

Safe Recipients List

If you belong to a mailing list or a distribution list, you can add the list sender to the Safe Recipients list. Messages sent to these email addresses or domain names are never treated as junk, regardless of the content of the message.

Blocked Senders List

You can easily block messages from particular senders by adding their email addresses or domain names to the Blocked Senders list. When you add a name or an email address to this list, Outlook moves any incoming message from that source to the Junk Email folder. Messages from people or domain names that appear in this list are always classified as junk, regardless of the content of the message.

Blocked Top-Level Domains List

To block unwanted email messages from another country/region, you can add country/region codes to the Blocked Top-Level Domains list. For example, checking the CA (Canada), US (United States), and MX (Mexico) boxes in the list blocks messages from email addresses that end in .ca, .us, and .mx.

Blocked Encodings List

To block unwanted email messages that appear in another character set or alphabet, you can add encodings to the Block Encodings list.

How to Control Your Junk Email

Some users have reported that legitimate pieces of email are being delivered directly to they Junk Email folders. This is usually caused by the local client Junk Email filter (enabled by default) in email clients such as Outlook. Below are some tips about how to control your junk email.

Update Your Email Client

Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013

1. Select "Start" button.
2. Select "All Programs."
3. Select "Windows Update."
   It will prompt you if there are any updates available.

Outlook 2011 (For Mac Users)

1. Select "Help."
2. Select "Check for Updates."
   It will prompt you if there are any updates available.

How to Turn Off Your Junk Email Filter

Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013

1. Select the "Home" tab.
2. Select "Junk" within the delete section.
3. Select "Junk Email Options."
4. Under the "Options" tab, select "No Automatic Filtering."

Outlook 2011

1. Select "Tools."
2. Select "Junk Email Protection."
3. Select "None."

Outlook Web App (OWA)

1. Log in to your account through OWA (outlook.com/usm.edu)
2. Select the gear icon in the top right.
3. Select "Options."
4. Select "Block or Allow."
5. Select "Don't move mail to my Junk email folder."
6. Select "Save."
   Note: Doing this will increase the amount of spam you receive.

How to Un-junk Wanted Email

You should check your junk email folder periodically to ensure that you are not missing valid messages. While reviewing your junk email folder, if you find a message that shouldn't have been marked as junk, you can correct it in a few different ways.

1. Right-click the message, and hover over "Junk."
2. Next, select one of the following options:
   • "Never Block Sender" - Future messages from this address will not be marked as junk.
   • "Never Block Sender's Domain" - Future messages from this domain ("@gmail.com" for example) will not be marked as junk.
   • "Never Block this Group or Mailing List"
   • "Not Junk" - A dialog box will open, telling you that the message will be moved to your inbox and giving you the option of always trusting the sender (which is the equivalent of "Never Block Sender", described above) and/or trusting all messages sent your address.

Note: If you just drag/drop the message out of the Junk Email folder, it will not train your client to allow messages from the sender in the future. Any further messages will continue to go into the Junk Email folder unless you follow the above directions.

How to Junk Unwanted Email

Along the same lines of un-junking email, if you find a junk message that wound up in your inbox or any other folder, you can simply delete it or treat all future messages from the sender as junk.

1. Right-click the message.
2. Hover over "Junk."
3. Select "Block Sender."

Note: If you just drag/drop the message out of the inbox, it will not train your client to block messages from the sender in the future. Any further messages will continue to go into the inbox folder unless you follow the above directions.

 

Changing the Level of Junk Email Protection

Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013

1. In Mail, on the "Home" tab, in the "Delete" group, select "Junk."
2. Select "Junk Email Options."
3. On the Options tab, select the level of protection that you want.
   • No Automatic Filtering - Although this turns off the automatic Junk Email filter, messages are still evaluated by using the domain names and email addresses in your Blocked Senders list.
     Note: If you want to turn off the Junk Email filter, you must also remove names from the Junk Email filter lists.
   • Low - If you don't receive many junk messages or want to filter only the messages that are the most obvious junk, select this option.
   • High - If you receive a lot of junk messages, but don't want to restrict messages from senders on your safe lists, select this option. You should periodically review messages moved to the Junk Email folder because some legitimate messages might also be moved.
   • Safe Lists Only - This is the most restrictive option. Any message that is sent neither from someone on your Safe Senders list nor to a mailing list on your Safe Recipients list is classified as junk.

Outlook 2011 for Mac Users

• In Outlook 2011 for Mac, you will find the junk email protection options greyed out and not adjustable. This feature is not available, and you will need to use Outlook Web App (OWA) to set junk email preferences. When you set junk email preferences in OWA it will automatically use those settings no matter how you choose to access your email account (i.e. mobile device, OWA, Outlook 2011 (Mac), Outlook 2010 (Windows)).

Outlook Web App (OWA)

If you find a message that shouldn't have been marked as junk, you can do one of the following options:

1. Select the three-dot icon (located in the upper-right, next to "Forward").
2. Select "Mark as not junk."

1. Another option is to right-click on the message
2. Select "Mark as not junk."

Along the same lines, if you find a junk message in your inbox or any other folder, you can:

• Simply delete it.
• Treat all future messages from the sender as junk by selecting the three-dot icon (upper-right next to Forward). Select "Mark as junk." Another option is to right-click on the message and select "Mark as junk."

Trusted Contacts

Individuals in your Contacts list will skip the Junk Email filter. To allow this:

1. Log in to your account through OWA (outlook.com/usm.edu).
2. Select the gear icon in the top right.
3. Select "Options."
4. Select "Block or Allow."
5. Check "Trust email from my contacts."
6. Select "Save."