spam emails

Outlook cannot completely stop spam from being delivered, but it can automatically move most of it out of the Inbox and into Junk Email. For classic Outlook for Windows, use and tune the Junk Email Filter and the Blocked Senders list so less spam reaches the Inbox.

Steps to make spam handling stricter in classic Outlook for Windows:

1. Turn on and tighten the Junk Email Filter
   1. In Outlook, go to the Home tab.
   2. In the Delete group, select Junk > Junk E-mail Options.
   3. On the Options tab, choose a higher protection level (for example, High) to make Outlook more aggressive at moving suspected spam to Junk E-mail.
   4. Select OK.
2. Add persistent spammers to Blocked Senders
   1. When a spam message arrives, select it in the Inbox.
   2. On the Home tab, in the Delete group, select Junk > Block Sender.
      • Messages from that address will always be treated as junk and moved to the Junk E-mail folder.
   3. To manage the list directly:
      1. On the Home tab, in the Delete group, select Junk > Junk E-mail Options.
      2. Go to the Blocked Senders tab.
      3. Select Add, then enter either:
         • A specific email address (for example, someone@example.com), or
         • A domain (for example, @example.com or example.com).
      4. Select OK and repeat for other unwanted senders.
      5. Use Edit or Remove on this tab to adjust entries later.
3. Periodically review the Junk E-mail folder
   • Check the Junk E-mail folder regularly to ensure legitimate messages are not being misclassified.
   • Move any legitimate message back to the Inbox; this helps refine filtering behavior.
4. Use additional anti-spam practices
   • Outlook’s Junk E-mail Filter evaluates incoming messages and diverts suspected spam to Junk E-mail instead of the Inbox. If spam volume remains high, increase the filter level as above or consider additional third‑party anti‑spam solutions, as suggested in the documentation.

These steps will not completely eliminate spam, but they will significantly reduce how much appears in the Inbox by automatically diverting it to the Junk E-mail folder.

References:

• 10 tips on how to help reduce spam
• Block a mail sender
• Block a mail sender in Outlook