Learn about junk email and phishing

Mail identified as possible junk email is automatically moved to the Junk Email folder, and any potentially dangerous content within the message, for example, links or executable code, is disabled.

In Outlook Web App, you can manage junk email reporting settings by selecting Settings > Options > MAIL > Automatic processing > Junk reporting.

You can manage other junk email settings by selecting Settings > Options > Block or allow. Or, in Options, select MAIL > Accounts > Block or allow. For information about the settings that are available, see Block or allow.

Junk email and phishing

What can I do with messages in my Junk Email folder?

What is junk email?

How do I mark an email message as junk?

What is phishing?

What is junk email reporting?

What else do I need to know?

What can I do with messages in my Junk Email folder?

When you receive a message that might be junk email, it will be moved to your Junk Email folder. You can treat messages in your Junk Email folder like any other message.

If a message in your Junk Email folder is one that you want to keep, click the extended menu in the reading pane and select mark as not junk. The message will be moved to your Inbox and the sender will be added to your Safe senders and recipients list.

How do I mark an email message as junk?

If a message in your Inbox is junk mail, you can move it to your Junk Email folder. Right-click the message, and then select Mark as junk. The message will be moved to your Junk Email folder and the sender will be added to your Blocked senders list. When you mark a message as junk, you also have the option to report mail as junk. Reporting mail as junk helps improve the effectiveness of junk email filtering.

What is junk email?

Junk email, also known as spam, is unsolicited email, usually commercial. It can strain networks, clog email servers, and fill mailboxes with unwanted and possibly offensive messages and images. Most of it is annoying, but harmless. Most junk email will be blocked by the email server that hosts your account.

What is phishing?

Phishing is a specific kind of junk email that's used to obtain private information for use in identity theft and other scams. The email message appears to come from a trusted source, such as your bank, and often includes the actual business logo and an apparently legitimate reply address.

For more information about how to identify phishing email messages and how to protect yourself from them, see Email and web scams: How to help protect yourself.

What is junk email reporting?

Junk email reporting lets you report junk email to Microsoft and its affiliates for analysis and helps improve the effectiveness of the junk email filtering technologies. By default, when you mark a message as junk, you will see a dialog box that asks you if you want to send a copy of the message to Microsoft to improve the accuracy of the junk email filter.

In Outlook Web App, you can manage junk email reporting settings by selecting Settings > Options > MAIL > Automatic processing > Junk reporting.

What else do I need to know?

• You can also manage junk email settings by selecting Settings > Options > Block or allow. Or, in Options, select MAIL > Accounts > Block or allow. For information about block or allow settings, see Block or allow.

• On the Block or allow tab, you can add entire email addresses, such as tony@contoso.com. Or you can add just the domain portion to trust all email from that domain. For example, to trust email from anyone who has a contoso.com address, add contoso.com to the Safe Senders and Recipients list.

• You can also move a message from the Junk Email folder to another folder by dragging it from the Junk Email folder to any other folder.

• If you right-click the Junk Email folder and click Empty, the contents of the Junk Email folder will be moved to the Deleted Items folder.

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