Outlook Spam Filter not working? Try these 6 Fixes

Users have woken up and found the Outlook spam filter not working. Several unnecessary emails have reached the inbox. Outlook users have taken the matter on social media platforms. You are not alone, and thousands have deleted spam emails manually. Microsoft has recognized the problem, and they are solving it. Let me show you how to reinforce the spam filter.

Microsoft has added an advanced spam filter in the Outlook email service. The technology detects spam emails coming from unknown or known senders. Users don’t have to worry about the frequent newsletters and advertisements reaching the primary inbox. Sometimes the service doesn’t work and ends up allowing the unnecessary email in your inbox. You can take action and enable a few options to prevent such emails.

Report Emails as Spam

Nobody loves unwanted messages from unknown senders. I have received hundreds of useless emails from brands and advertisers. I reported them as spam, then blocked them. I know it’s a hassle to perform the manual work, but it’s worth it.

  • Go to the Outlook page and log in to the account.
  • Open the target email.
  • Click on the “Report” button.
  • Click the “Report Junk” or “Report Phishing” button from the drop-down menu.

Phishing is an old technique to acquire sensitive data using a fraudulent solicitation email. You keep reporting the spam emails until they disappear from your inbox.

Let Outlook Block Spam Emails

Outlook has an advanced option hidden in the settings. You can let the Microsoft tool inspect the emails and block the spam ones. I have shown you how to enable the spam email blocker on the desktop-class Outlook application.

  • Log in to your account.
  • Click on the “View” option.
  • Tap on the “View settings” button.
  • Click the “Junk Email” from the side menu.
  • Select the two options.
    • Only trust email from addresses in my Safe senders and domain list and Safe mailing lists.
    • Block attachments, pictures, and links from anyone not in Safe senders and domain list.
  • Click on the “Save” button.

Enable the functions until Microsoft fixes the spam email issue.

Create Outlook Safe Senders List

You can tell Outlook to accept emails from the saved senders only. The email service provider will block messages that have certain spam elements. Meanwhile, it will let the saved addresses send you messages without limitations. You have to add the trusted email address only.

  • Log in to your account.
  • Click on the “View” option and then “View settings” button.
  • Tap the “Junk Email” from the side menu.
  • Click “Add” under the safe senders and domain section.
  • Add the email address and press the Enter key.
  • Click the “Save” button at the bottom.

The email service provider will send the emails to the inbox without issues. Meanwhile, it will block spam emails coming from unknown senders.

Create Safe Mailing List

Many businesses and companies use mailing addresses other than regular email addresses. You can add the enterprise address to the mailing list and allow them to reach your inbox. Outlook understands the importance of receiving attachments from a custom domain. Add the sender’s company email address and avoid those messages dropping into the junk folder.

  • Log in to your account.
  • Tap on the View > View Settings > Junk Email.
  • Click “Add” under the safe mailing list.
  • Add the company or business email address.
  • Press the Enter key.
  • Click the “Save” button.

The email service provider will allow the enterprise domains to send you emails. You should add trusted addresses to the list because they may contain attachments or links.

Modify Automated Email Protection Settings

You can change how Outlook handles the spam filters. The service provider will strengthen your security for you. However, some settings can catch regular emails and throw them in the junk folder. I have mentioned the meaning of each setting for better comprehension.

  • Open MS Office Outlook.
  • Click the “Home” option from the menu.
  • Click on the “Junk” option.
  • Tap the “Junk E-mail Options” from the drop-down menu.
  • Click the “Option” from the pop-up window.
  • You got four options.
    • No Automatic Filter: Outlook will no longer detect spam messages from the senders.
    • Low: The system will detect obvious messages from unknown or known senders.
    • High: The system catches the majority of spam emails. It may dump a few regular ones in the junk folder.
    • Safe lists: I have shown you how to add known addresses to the safe list.
  • Select one option.
  • Select the “Disable links and other functionality” option at the second bottom.
  • Click on the “Ok” button.

The Microsoft account will block phishing and unwanted emails from unknown senders.

Add Spam Addresses in the Block List

We receive unnecessary emails from a specific sender. Outlook allows users to add addresses or domain names to block them. Let me walk you through you the process.

  • Open MS Office Outlook.
  • Tap the Home > Junk > Junk E-mail Options.
  • Click the “Block Senders” from the pop-up window.
  • Click on the “Add” option.
  • Enter the address or domain name.
  • Click “Apply” and “Ok” to save the changes.

The system will block the domain name or the address without hesitation. You should check the junk folder periodically because some regular emails may land in the spam list. Outlook deletes wipes the folder in thirty days.

Bottom Line

Microsoft has worked on Outlook for professionals and home users. The companies fight privacy invaders duping people through phishing. Take the initiative to block spam emails to protect yourself. Let us know which solution helped you fix the Outlook spam filter when it’s not working.

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