How to ensure important emails don’t go to spam

The battle against spam remains an ongoing challenge, as spammers continuously evolve their tactics to evade detection. Email users and email services are in a constant struggle to mitigate the influx of unwanted messages.

Although spam filters are helpful, manual filters may inadvertently catch legitimate emails, and automated filters are not always foolproof. Consequently, you might find irrelevant content in your inbox, or, worse yet, important messages might get erroneously classified as spam.

To safeguard against such inconveniences, it’s crucial to routinely inspect your spam folder and establish a roster of trusted senders. This might include your child’s school, vital work contacts, or your loved ones. Emails from these sources will not be mistakenly categorized as spam, granting you peace of mind. Configuring these trusted sender lists is a straightforward process achievable in virtually every email application. Here’s how to do it in a few popular email platforms:

For Gmail

1. Click on the cog icon located in the upper-right corner of the Gmail interface on the web.
2. Select “See all settings” and navigate to the “Filters and blocked addresses” tab.
3. Choose “Create a new filter.”
4. Input the email address of the person you want to add to your safe senders list in the top field of the dialog that appears (it may auto-populate if the person is already in your contacts).
5. Click “Create filter” and opt for the action “Never send it to spam.” This effectively adds the email address to your safe senders list.
6. Confirm by clicking “Create filter.”

While Gmail doesn’t maintain a separate list for safe senders, you will find the filter we created together any existing ones in the “Filters and blocked addresses” tab, allowing you to edit or remove it.

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For Apple Mail

1. Open Apple Mail and go to “Mail” and then “Settings.”
2. Access the “Rules” tab.
3. Click “Add rule” to set up a rule that ensures messages from trusted email addresses land in your inbox.
4. You can put together several safe email addresses together in the same rule if desired. Ensure it’s set to apply if “any of the following conditions are met” and select the action to move the message to the inbox.
5. Confirm by clicking “OK.”

Rules can also be established from the iCloud portal on the web for Apple Mail, although they may not sync between the two interfaces.

For Microsoft Outlook

In Outlook for Windows, if you encounter an email in the junk folder that doesn’t belong there:

1. Select the email.
2. Click “Junk” on the Home tab of the ribbon menu at the top.
3. You can choose “Never Block Sender” or “Never Block Sender’s Domain” to allow all emails from the domain through.

Access “Junk E-Mail Options” through the same menu to manage your safe senders list. In Outlook on the web, use the cog icon to access “Junk email” under “Email” and click “Add” to specify a new trusted email address. Lists are synchronized between the web interface and the desktop client, eliminating the need for duplicate efforts.

By following these steps, you can proactively manage your safe senders list and minimize the chances of missing important emails while keeping spam at bay.