How do I stop 100s of unwanted junk mail showing up

Louis Salemi 0 Reputation points
2026-09-09T21:56:42.68+00:00

Recently I started getting 100s of unwanted junk mail and I would like it to stop. When I block they still come back

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Email
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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-09T21:56:59.35+00:00

    Blocking in Outlook.com does not stop senders from attempting delivery. It mainly moves messages from that sender or domain to the Junk Email folder, which is why more junk can still appear.

    Use this approach:

    1. Block repeated senders or domains correctly
      • Go to Settings > Mail > Junk email.
      • Under Blocked senders or Blocked domains, add the exact email address or just the domain.
      • Select Save.
      • If the spammer keeps changing addresses, blocking individual addresses will have limited effect.
    2. Add trusted senders to Safe senders
      • In Settings > Mail > Junk email, add important senders and domains to Safe senders.
      • This helps keep legitimate mail out of Junk while stronger filtering is used for everything else.
    3. Mark false positives as Not junk
      • Open the Junk Email folder.
      • Select legitimate messages and choose It’s not junk.
      • If needed, remove the sender from the blocked list and add them to Safe senders.
    4. Create rules for repeated spam patterns
      • If the junk uses the same domain, subject text, or repeated wording, create an inbox rule to catch those patterns and move them to Deleted Items.
      • This is useful when senders keep changing addresses.
    5. If blocked senders still reach the Inbox
      • The sender may be changing addresses.
      • The visible sender may be hiding the real sending address. Checking the internet message headers can help identify the real address to block.
    6. Know the retention behavior
      • In Outlook.com and Outlook on the web, email in Junk Email is automatically removed after 14 days and cannot be recovered.
      • Some Outlook.com guidance also states messages in Junk are automatically deleted between 10 and 30 days after arrival.
    7. If the volume remains unmanageable
      • In Outlook.com, select Help, search for the issue, and if self-help does not resolve it, go to Still need help? and select Yes.
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  2. John Jefferson Doyon 86,980 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-09T22:31:46.8333333+00:00

    Hi, @Louis Salemi

    Are these spam emails showing up in your Inbox, or are they already going into Junk Email?

    If they’re landing in your Inbox, here’s something you can do to start blocking them:

    • Click Settings (gear icon from top right)
    • Choose Mail > Junk email.
    • Under Blocked senders and domains, select Add blocked sender.
    • Enter the email address you want to block. If you want to block an entire domain (for example, everything from @spamdomain.com), you can enter the domain name instead.
    • Click "Save" and monitor if the issue will persist.

    You can also change the level of protection in the Junk Email Filter using this steps:

    • In the same Settings (Settings > Mail > Junk email).
    • From there, you can select the "Strict" option. Please note that this will put all other messages into the Junk Email folder if they are not from the Safe Senders and Domains list. So, I suggest building your Safe Senders and Domains list first to allow known senders into your inbox.
    • You can also enable the option "Block attachments, pictures, and links from anyone not in my Safe Senders and Domains list" and in option "Trust email from my contacts".
    • Click "Save" and monitor if the issue will persist.

    Also, did this start suddenly today, or has it been happening for a while? A sudden wave like this can sometimes mean your email was exposed somewhere.

    Click "Add comment" to let me know.

    Thanks!

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  3. Hornblower409 14,600 Reputation points
    2026-09-11T00:02:36.43+00:00

    If the Spam is being delivered to your Junk folder (not your Inbox) - There is no way to stop it or automatically delete it. This is a long standing complaint from numerous users, myself included.

    All I can suggest is that you look at the Answer by "Hornblower409 Apr 23, 2026" in
    https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5867493/how-to-solve-receiving-a-huge-number-of-spam-email

    That Answer has instructions for how to vote for some Feature Request that would give users more control over their Junk folder and some suggestions for MANUAL processes you can use to pick out and Delete any "known" Spam from the Junk folder so you don't have so much to sift thru looking for legitimate emails.

    I am seeing reports on Reddit of a similar nature. Multiple new Spam in Junk every second, non-stop. Might be a Subscription Bombing, or your email was recently disclosed and the Spammers are piling on.

    Is there any common element to the Spam? e.g. Most with variations on a single Subject? Most from a single source?

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