Here are step-by-step instructions to help make sure legitimate emails don’t keep getting filtered into Junk Email in Microsoft Outlook:
1. Mark the message as "Not Junk"
-
Open your Junk Email folder.
-
Right-click the legitimate email.
-
Select Junk → Not Junk.
-
A prompt will appear asking if you want to always trust email from this sender — check the box if you do.
2. Add the sender to your Safe Senders list
-
Open the email.
-
Right-click the sender’s name or email address in the message header.
-
Select Add to Outlook Contacts or Add to Safe Senders List.
-
You can also manually add trusted addresses/domains:
-
Go to the Home tab → Junk → Junk Email Options.
-
In the Safe Senders tab, click Add.
-
Type the full email (e.g., person@example.com) or domain (e.g., @example.com).
-
Click OK.
-
3. Check your blocked senders list
Sometimes Outlook mistakenly puts good senders there.
-
Go to Home → Junk → Junk Email Options → Blocked Senders.
-
Look for the sender’s address or domain.
-
If found, select it and click Remove.
4. Create a rule to always allow certain emails
-
Go to Home → Rules → Manage Rules & Alerts.
-
Choose New Rule.
-
Under Start from a blank rule, select Apply rule on messages I receive.
-
Add conditions (e.g., “from people or public group”).
-
Select the action move it to the Inbox (or another folder).
-
Finish and apply.
5. If using Outlook with Microsoft 365 / Exchange
Your organization may also have server-side filters:
-
Log into Outlook on the Web (OWA).
-
Go to Settings (gear icon) → Mail → Junk Email.
-
Add trusted addresses/domains to the Safe Senders and Recipients list.
-
Check that the sender is not in Blocked Senders.