How to Stop Receiving Spam Emails in Outlook
Spam emails can be a major annoyance and a potential security risk. Whether you’re using Outlook for personal or professional purposes, receiving spam emails can be frustrating. However, there are several steps you can take to reduce the amount of spam you receive in your Outlook inbox. In this article, we’ll discuss how to stop receiving spam emails in Outlook and some additional tips to keep your inbox clean and secure.
1. Enable Spam Filtering
The first step in stopping spam emails in Outlook is to enable spam filtering. Outlook has a built-in spam filter that automatically moves suspected spam messages to the junk folder. To enable this feature, follow these steps:
- Open Outlook and click on “File” in the upper-left corner.
- Select “Options” from the menu.
- Click on “Mail” in the left-hand navigation pane.
- Under the “Junk Email” section, check the box next to “Enable Junk Email Protection.” This will turn on the spam filter.
- Click “OK” to save your changes.
2. Use the Junk Email Filter
Outlook’s junk email filter is designed to automatically detect and move spam messages to the junk folder. However, it’s important to regularly check your junk folder to ensure that legitimate emails are not mistakenly marked as spam. To do this, follow these steps:
- Open the “Junk Email” folder in Outlook.
- Review the messages in the folder and select any that are not spam.
- Right-click on the selected messages and choose “Not Junk” from the menu.
- Outlook will learn from this action and improve its spam filtering in the future.
3. Update Your Contact List
One way to reduce spam emails is to update your contact list. Add email addresses to your Outlook contacts and mark them as “Safe.” This will help Outlook recognize these addresses as trusted sources and reduce the chances of them being marked as spam. To add an email address to your contacts, follow these steps:
- Open Outlook and click on “People” in the navigation pane.
- Click on “New Contact” in the ribbon.
- Enter the email address and any other relevant information.
- Click “Save & Close” to add the contact.
4. Use the Block Sender Feature
Outlook allows you to block specific email addresses or domains from sending you emails. This can be useful if you’re receiving spam from a particular source. To block a sender, follow these steps:
- Open the email from the sender you want to block.
- Click on “Home” in the ribbon.
- Select “Block Sender” from the menu.
- Outlook will add the sender to your blocked senders list, and they will no longer be able to send you emails.
5. Use Additional Spam Filtering Tools
In addition to Outlook’s built-in spam filtering, you can use third-party spam filtering tools to further reduce the amount of spam you receive. These tools can offer more advanced filtering options and can help protect you from more sophisticated spam campaigns. Some popular spam filtering tools include SpamAssassin, SpamBayes, and Spamihilator.
By following these steps, you can significantly reduce the amount of spam you receive in your Outlook inbox. Regularly checking your junk folder, updating your contact list, and using additional spam filtering tools can help keep your inbox clean and secure.