Are you frustrated with Hotmail’s spam or junk email filter? We’ve all been there! You try to use the filters only to find they don’t work.
But, don’t worry! We have a few tips and tricks that can help you get back on track with your Microsoft Hotmail account.
How to Troubleshoot & Fix Hotmail Spam or Junk Email Filter Fails or Not Working Issues
In this article, we’ll discuss how to fix Microsoft Hotmail spam mail or junk email filter failures when they aren’t working properly.
#1 Re-Confirm Your Email Address
This step should be relatively straightforward;
- Simply log into your Hotmail account, click on the “Settings” icon at the top right corner of the page,
- And select “Manage how you sign in” or “Personal info,”
- Then edit accordingly.
It’s important to note that some changes may require additional verification steps before they can take effect, such as confirming via text message or other methods.
Once you’ve finished updating, save all changes and close out of settings.
If you have multiple accounts linked under one Hotmail profile, make sure each one is updated separately as well, since many users rely on these accounts for various tasks such as work-related emails or social media notifications.
#2 Review Your Hotmail Account Settings
Take a look at “Junk Email Protection Level” in the Settings menu.
This feature allows users to determine whether their Junk Email folder should have low, medium, or high protection levels, which will correspondingly block more or fewer messages from entering their primary inbox.
Additionally, this section includes an option for filtering phishing attempts as well as providing notifications when suspicious activity takes place within the user’s account.
Another helpful setting found under Account Security is “Safe List Only.”
When enabled, only messages sent by contacts listed in either the “safe senders list” or the “safe mailing lists” will enter the user’s primary inbox; all other incoming mail will be directed towards designated folders such as spam or clutter according to Microsoft’s SmartScreen technology.
#3 Check Your Blocked Senders List
The third step to help fix the issue of Hotmail’s spam or junk mail filter not working is to check your blocked senders list.
Blocked senders can be manually added, but many email services will also block emails from external sources that have been identified as suspicious or dangerous. It is important to review this list and make sure there are no legitimate contacts being blocked by mistake.
If a contact appears on the blocked sender list, it can usually be removed by selecting the option for its removal. If an unknown source has been blocked, however, it should remain blocked in order to protect against malicious emails.
#4 Check Your Safe Senders List
Review the names on the “safe sender” list and confirm if they should still be there.
Sometimes, it can happen that a contact who was once trusted may no longer be so or has changed email addresses.
It’s important to keep up with these changes and adjust them accordingly. Additionally, if you find an unwanted name in the safe sender’s list, then delete it immediately, as it could allow malicious emails into your inbox unhindered by filters.
Takeaway
Finally, use keywords associated with friends’ or family members’ emails rather than just their full address when adding them to the Safe Senders List—this way, even if their email account changes providers, all future communications will automatically reach your inbox unencumbered by any additional steps on either side.
Doing so also helps avoid accidentally blocking legitimate senders due to typos or incorrect formatting.
