Mastering your spam folder: Tips for marking, moving & managing spam
When an email goes missing, the first question is usually “Did you check your spam folder?” So, what is a spam folder exactly, and how did that message end up there?
Also known as the email junk folder, this is the place where your email provider automatically files messages that seem suspicious, reducing the risk of phishing scams and unwanted spam emails landing in your inbox. But while this filtering system is essential for keeping your inbox clean, it’s not perfect – sometimes, important emails can end up in the spam/junk email folder by mistake.
By Alyssa SchmittMarking emails as “not spam” helps keep them out of your junk email folder
Introduction to the spam folder
Understanding your spam folder and how to use it effectively can help ensure you don’t miss out on important messages. And mail.com has got your back, with this guide on how to manage your junk mail folder and even unspam emails when necessary! Keep reading for everything you need to know about your spam folder, including:
If you’ve ever found an important email in the spam folder instead of your inbox, you may have wondered why. Email providers use advanced filtering systems to determine whether a message belongs in your inbox or should be sent to the junk/spam folder. These filters help protect users from unwanted or harmful emails, but they can occasionally result in wanted mails going to spam. Understanding why emails are flagged can help you prevent legitimate messages from being mislabeled.
Multiple factors can cause emails to go to the junk folder, including:
Email content that triggers spam filters. Certain words, phrases, excessive capitalization, or too many punctuation marks, especially in the subject line, can cause an email to be sent to spam.
Blocklisted sender email address. If the sender’s IP address has been reported for spam in the past, they might end up on the blocklist of an organization like Spamhaus, causing their messages to be automatically blocked by some email providers.
High email volume in a short time. If someone sends too many emails too quickly, this can trigger spam detection systems.
Spam complaints from you. If you repeatedly mark emails from a certain sender as spam, future messages from that sender are likely to be filtered into your junk folder.
If you experience legitimate emails being consistently marked as spam, it’s important to move them from junk to inbox manually or to adjust your email settings through the use of personal allow- and blocklists.
Not sure how that works? No worries – in the next section, we’ll cover how to check and manage your spam email folder effectively to ensure you never miss an important message.
Bonus explainer: For a comprehensive refresher on spam and how you can prevent it, check out our deep dive on Email Spam.
If you’ve ever scratched your head and wondered, “OK, where do I find my spam folder?” or “Wait - where is my junk folder?” you’re not alone. Different email providers and devices may have the spam folder in slightly different locations, and it might be labeled “Spam,” “Junk Email,” or "Junk." But knowing how to find the spam/junk folder is essential so you can review messages that might have been mistakenly filtered out.
In this section, we’ll cover how to locate your spam folder in popular email platforms:
Junk email folder in Outlook (where Microsoft labels spam emails as "junk")
Spam folder on iPhone (spam emails appear in the Apple Mail app’s “Junk” folder)
mail.com spam folder (called “Spam” in both the web browser and the mail.com mobile app)
Outlook junk folder
If you're wondering, “Where is the spam folder in Outlook?” the first thing you should know is that in Outlook, the spam folder is called the “Junk Email” folder. Follow these steps to locate it:
Open Outlook on your computer or log into your account at outlook.com.
In the left-hand menu, scroll down to find the Junk Email folder.
Click on Junk Email to view messages flagged as spam.
If you find an email that shouldn't be in the junk folder, right-click it and select Move to Inbox to restore it.
iPhone spam folder
If you’re asking, “Where is the spam folder on my iPhone?” this is another case where you are actually looking for a folder called “Junk” – at least in the Apple Mail app. Here’s how to find it:
Open the Mail app on your iPhone.
Go to your list of Mailboxes.
Scroll down and look for the Junk folder under your email account (e.g., iCloud, Gmail, or another provider).
Tap Junk to view emails marked as spam.
To move an email back to your inbox, swipe left on the message and tap Move, then select Inbox.
mail.com Spam folder
If you use mail.com, you can check your spam folder in both the web browser and the mail.com mobile app for iOS and Android. If you're wondering “How do I find my spam folder in mail.com?”, follow these steps for the web version:
Open a web browser and go to mail.com.
Log into your account.
In the left-hand menu, scroll down to find the Spam folder.
Click Spam to view emails flagged as junk.
To move an email back to your inbox, select it and click Not Spam.
For mobile users asking, “How can I check my spam folder in the mail.com app?”, simply open the app, tap the Mail icon, and select Spam from the folder list.
Most email providers store spam messages in a designated spam/junk email folder, typically found in the left-hand menu of your inbox. If you’re unsure how to find spam folder on your specific platform, refer to the earlier section, "Where to find the spam folder," for detailed instructions. Once you have located your spam folder, all you have to do is click or tap on the folder name or icon to open it and see a list of the messages in the folder.
Regularly reviewing this folder helps you catch legitimate emails in spam folder that may have been incorrectly sent there. Email filters are not perfect, and sometimes important messages – such as password resets, invoices, or business communications – end up there by mistake. This means that ignoring your spam folder can have risks. You might overlook critical emails, delay responses to time-sensitive information, or even miss out on account verification emails needed to access certain services.
Effectively managing your spam folder for email helps make sure that unwanted messages are filtered out while important ones reach your inbox. Many email platforms offer tools to help keep your spam/junk email folder organized and prevent legitimate messages from being mistakenly flagged.
Keep reading for tips on managing spam effectively, including:
How to mark emails as spam to train your email provider’s filters
Steps for moving important emails out of your spam/junk folder
Creating lists and filters to automatically sort and manage incoming messages
How do you mark an email as spam? Most email providers have a "Mark as Spam" or "Report Junk" button, so it usually only takes a click or a swipe. For example, in Outlook, you can select an email and select Mark as Junk or Junk in the Home tab to send it to the spam folder. On an iPhone, simply swipe left on an email, tap More, and select Mark as Spam.
And why should you mark an email as spam instead of simply deleting? Marking unwanted messages as spam is an essential step in keeping your inbox clean. Using this feature helps email providers improve their filtering systems. When you mark as spam in Outlook or other email services, the system learns which messages are unwanted and is less likely to deliver similar emails to your inbox in the future.
So, rather than deleting spam emails immediately, let them remain in the spam/junk folder for a while—this helps refine spam detection and reduces the chance of similar emails making it through.
For emails that were mistakenly flagged and end up in your spam folder, use the Not Spam, Not Junk, or Mark as Safe option to move them back to your inbox – keep reading to find out how!
Sometimes, important emails get mistakenly flagged as spam. If you need to move mail from Junk to your inbox, try one of these methods to ensure you don’t miss valuable messages:
Open your spam or junk folder and locate the email you want to rescue. Select the email and look for a Not Spam, Not Junk or Mark as Safe option (depending on your email provider). Once you have clicked that option, the email will be moved to your inbox.
If your email program supports drag-and-drop, you can manually move junk email to inbox by dragging the email to your inbox.
In Outlook, right-click the email and select Mark as Not Junk to ensure that message and future messages from that sender go to your inbox.
By taking the time to mark emails as not junk in Outlook and other email clients, you help train your spam filters to recognize trusted senders, reducing the chance of important emails being missed.
Tools and filters to help manage spam emails
Email providers offer tools to help you manage spam effectively. If you frequently receive spam from a certain address, you can use “blocklists” – also known as “blacklists” – to prevent those emails from reaching your inbox. Essentially, when you block an email sender manually, you are telling your email program to always place incoming mails from this sender directly in your spam/junk email folder.
The process for adding senders to your blocklist will vary by provider. In Outlook, for example, you can right-click on the unwanted email and select Junk > Block Sender. In mail.com, you can add specific email addresses or domains to your blocklist under Settings > Blocklist.
But what about “unspamming” an email address that is actually legitimate? Here are several strategies for keeping wanted emails in your inbox instead of the junk folder:
Add address to contacts: If emails from a certain person are always mistakenly marked as junk, saving their email address in your email contacts/address book is an effective way to signal that their emails are actually wanted.
Add address or domain to allowlist: The “allowlist” or “whitelist” lets you mark specific email addresses or domains as trustworthy so you will always receive their emails in your inbox. In Outlook, for example, you can right-click on the wanted email and select Junk > NeverBlock Sender. In mail.com, you can mark specific email addresses or domains as legitimate under Settings > Allowlist.
Set up email filters: Sometimes called “rules,” email filters can automatically sort messages based on sender, keywords, or other criteria. So, you can set up filters to move emails from spam to inbox or vice versa when they meet specific conditions, such as being from a known contact.
Learning how to unspam contacts and fine-tuning your filters can significantly improve your email experience and help you stay on top of important messages.
FAQ: Managing your spam folder
Where do I find my spam folder?
Your spam folder is usually located in the left-hand menu of your email inbox along with your other email folders. Depending on your provider, it may be labeled as Spam or Junk. If you're unsure where to look, refer to the section "Where to find the spam folder" in this article for platform-specific instructions.
What does a spam folder do?
A spam folder automatically filters and stores unwanted or suspicious emails to keep your inbox organized and free of spam. Email providers use filtering systems to detect spam based on content, sender reputation, and other factors.
How do I mark a specific email as spam?
To mark an email as spam, select the message and click the Mark as Spam or Report Junk button, depending on your email provider. This moves the email to your spam folder and helps train your email service to recognize similar messages in the future.
How do I stop emails from going to junk mail?
To prevent emails from going to spam, add trusted senders to your contacts or allowlist and mark mistakenly categorized emails as Not Spam. You can also create rules to ensure emails from specific senders always reach your inbox.
How do I permanently mark email as spam?
You can mark emails as spam by selecting them and choosing Mark as Spam or Report Junk in your email provider’s settings. Some services also allow you to block specific senders, ensuring their messages automatically go to your spam folder.
What does mark as junk do in Outlook?
An email that you mark as junk will be moved to your Junk Email folder in Outlook. In addition, moving the email to this folder helps train your filters to recognize similar emails as spam in the future. By marking spam correctly, you ensure your inbox remains organized and clutter-free.
Is the junk folder the same as spam in Outlook?
Yes, in Outlook, the spam folder is called the Junk Email folder. Emails flagged as spam are automatically moved there, and you can review them to ensure no important messages were mistakenly filtered out.
How do you check your spam folder?
To check your spam folder, navigate to your email’s Spam, Junk, or Junk Email folder, usually found in the left-hand menu of your email program. Click on the folder name or icon to open it and view the list of emails in the folder.
How do I get emails out of the spam folder?
To move an email out of the spam folder, select it and choose Not Spam, Mark as Safe, or similar (depending on your email provider). You can also drag and drop the email into your inbox. This helps prevent future messages from the same sender from being marked as spam.
Is it OK to delete spam?
Yes, but only after they have been moved to your spam folder. If a spam email appears in your inbox, don’t just delete it – mark it as Spam or Junk instead. This helps train your email provider’s filter to recognize similar messages in the future and keep them out of your inbox. Most email services automatically delete spam messages after a certain period, but you can manually clear your spam folder to free up space and reduce clutter.
By regularly checking your spam folder and using the tips in this blog post, you can keep your inbox clear of spam while ensuring you never miss an important message. Let us know if you found it helpful!
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