How to Stop Emails Going to Junk in Outlook (Safe Senders)
"I sent that last week — did you not get it?" Check your Junk folder. Outlook's filter is good, but it's cautious, and emails from new suppliers, school, your accountant or automated systems can end up in Junk by mistake. Here's how to rescue them and make sure it doesn't happen again.
Quick reference
| What you want | How |
|---|---|
| Rescue an email | Junk folder → right-click → Not junk |
| Always trust a sender | Settings → Mail → Junk email → Safe senders |
| Trust a whole company | Add their domain, e.g. @school.org.uk |
| Check regularly | Look in Junk once a week |
1. Mark an email as Not junk
1. Open the Junk Email folder.
2. Right-click the email.
3. Choose Not junk (new Outlook) or Junk → Not Junk (classic).
2. Right-click the email.
3. Choose Not junk (new Outlook) or Junk → Not Junk (classic).
The email moves back to your Inbox, and Outlook offers to add the sender to your Safe Senders list — say yes.
2. Add a sender to Safe Senders
To make sure someone never goes to Junk again, even before they've emailed you:
New Outlook and Outlook on the web:
1. Click Settings → Mail → Junk email.
2. Under Safe senders and domains, click Add.
3. Type the email address and press Enter, then click Save.
2. Under Safe senders and domains, click Add.
3. Type the email address and press Enter, then click Save.
Classic Outlook:
1. On the Home tab, click Junk → Junk E-mail Options…
2. Open the Safe Senders tab and click Add…
3. Type the address and click OK.
2. Open the Safe Senders tab and click Add…
3. Type the address and click OK.
3. Trust a whole domain
If several people at the same company email you, add the domain instead of each address: type @companyname.co.uk (new Outlook) or companyname.co.uk (classic). Everyone from that company is trusted.
Don't do this for big free providers like @gmail.com — you'd be trusting every spammer with a Gmail address.
4. Trust your contacts automatically
In classic Outlook's Junk E-mail Options → Safe Senders, tick Also trust e-mail from my Contacts. Anyone in your address book skips the junk filter. New Outlook does this automatically for Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com accounts.
5. Adjust the filter level (classic Outlook)
Junk → Junk E-mail Options → Options tab:
• Low — only obvious spam is moved. Fewer false alarms; a bit more spam in your inbox.
• High — catches more spam, but more real emails get caught too.
• High — catches more spam, but more real emails get caught too.
If good emails keep going to Junk, try Low and rely on your Safe Senders list.
New Outlook and Outlook on the web don't have a slider; the filter is tuned by Microsoft, and your Safe Senders and Blocked Senders lists do the fine-tuning.
6. Check your Blocked Senders list
If someone's emails always go to Junk, check they aren't on your blocked list by mistake: Settings → Mail → Junk email → Blocked senders and domains (new) or Junk E-mail Options → Blocked Senders (classic). Remove them.
Troubleshooting
Emails from my own domain go to Junk. This usually means the company's email isn't set up with the right SPF or DKIM records. Add the domain to Safe Senders for now, and tell whoever manages the domain.
The Safe Senders list didn't help. Your organisation's mail server may be filtering before Outlook sees the message. Ask IT to check the quarantine.
The Junk folder is on my phone but not my computer. Scroll down the folder list — it's there, possibly under More. In classic Outlook, it's called Junk Email.
Wrapping up
Rescue anything in Junk with Not junk, add important senders and domains to Safe Senders, and glance at the Junk folder once a week. That's all it takes to stop losing emails you actually wanted.
