How to stop junk emails on Outlook

To stop junk emails on Outlook, train the junk filter by reporting every junk message, block persistent senders, build domain-wide rules, and tighten the junk filter sensitivity. Combined with Focused Inbox, this clears the vast majority of unwanted mail in a few days. Step-by-step below.

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Step 1: Report every junk email (Outlook web or new Outlook)

Each junk report trains both your personal filter and Microsoft\'s global one.

1. Open the junk email.
2. Click Junk in the toolbar (or right-click the message → Mark as junk).
3. Confirm. The message moves to Junk and the sender is auto-added to your Blocked list.

For phishing specifically (mail pretending to be from a real company), use Report → Phishing instead. Higher-priority signal to Microsoft.

Step 2: Tighten the junk filter sensitivity

Outlook\'s default junk filter is conservative. Bumping it up catches more borderline mail at the cost of more false positives:

1. Click the gear icon (top-right) → Mail → Junk email.
2. Find the Filters section.
3. Set the junk filter level to High if you're flooded with spam (more aggressive). Or Standard for a balanced setting.
4. Toggle Block attachments, pictures, and links from anyone not in my Safe Senders list if security matters more than convenience.

Step 3: Block persistent senders and domains

For senders the filter keeps missing:

1. Settings → Mail → Junk email → Blocked senders and domains.
2. Click Add.
3. Enter a single email address (spammer@example.com) or an entire domain (example.com).
4. Click Save.

Domain blocks are powerful - they catch every sender at that domain, no matter what address prefix they use.

Step 4: Block by country (top-level domain)

A lot of junk comes from specific country domains. You can auto-route them to Junk:

1. Settings → Mail → Junk email.
2. Find Filters → Block top-level domains.
3. Tick the country codes you want blocked (e.g. .ru, .cn, .top).
4. Save.

Step 5: Use Focused Inbox

Focused Inbox is the unsung hero of Outlook spam control. Even mail that isn\'t junk-filter-worthy but you don\'t care about (recruiters, low-priority newsletters) gets routed to "Other" automatically once Focused learns your behavior. Train it by:

1. Right-click misclassified mail → Move to Focused or Move to Other.
2. Repeat for the first week. After that, Focused gets remarkably accurate.

Step 6: For volume, bulk-unsubscribe

If most of your "junk" is actually newsletters you signed up for years ago, the junk filter doesn\'t solve it - they\'re technically legitimate. ClearMyInbox finds every newsletter and promotional sender in your Outlook account and unsubscribes from selected ones in batches. Free for 3 scans.

Empty the Junk folder regularly

Junk auto-deletes after a configurable period. To set or change it:

1. Settings → Mail → Junk email.
2. Set Empty deleted items every X days (default 10 days, can be 30 or never).