Spartan Mail - Configuring Junk Mail Settings in Spartan Mail from spartanmail.msu.edu

Navigation

Select a link below to jump to that section:

• Key Concepts
• Recommendations for Handling Junk:
• Q/A:  How do I block senders?
• Q/A:  How do I Allow Senders?
• Q/A: How do I manage my email with all this junk email filtering going on?
  • If you cannot find an email message…
  • If you find a spam message in your inbox instead of your junk folder…
  • If you find a legitimate message in your junk folder instead of your inbox…
  • To Report a Phishing Message

Key Concepts

Spartan mail has multiple layers of spam email protection, some at server-side and others at the client-side.  On the server-side, there is Microsoft’s on-line protection system that scans for malware and spam.  

Microsoft’s online protection has three buckets for spam: possible spam, high confidence spam, or bulk. All types move to the end user “junk email” folder unless the sender of the email is on the recipient’s Outlook Safe Sender list. If a sender is on the recipient’s Outlook Block Sender list, the email message also moves to the recipient’s junk mail folder.

Server-side junk filtering takes place on the mail server as soon as the email arrives in the mailbox. Client-slide junk filtering takes place on the client (such as Outlook & Outlook for Mac) when the email is downloaded from the server to the client.

Some versions of Outlook, like Outlook 2016, allow users to set client-side junk filtering settings. These settings will not impact the spam rating on the server side. However, action will be taken on the client side based on the settings.

Back to Top

Recommendations for Handling Junk:

• Check your “junk email” folder on a regular basis.
• Keep your “safe senders” and “blocked senders” lists in Outlook up-to-date.  
• Familiarize yourself with how to configure “junk email” settings as applies to your situation.  Do you only use Outlook on the Web or are you also an Outlook 2016 user? Do you have an MSU Exchange Online account or an MSU Exchange On-premise account? Do you use a Mac or a PC?
• Familiarize yourself with how to report funk filtering misclassifications to Microsoft. 

Back to Top

Q/A:  How do I block senders?

You can add the email addresses and domains that you do not want to receive email from to your Outlook Block Senders List.  Outlook automatically moves email from blocked senders to your junk folder.

1. Open Options and navigate to Mail > Accounts > Block or allow:
   1. Click on Settings.
   2. Type Block in the search box.
   3. Click on Block or allow.
   4. The Options menu appears on the leftmost part of the screen.
2. Under Block or allow, select Automatically filter junk email.
3. Under Blocked Senders, type the email address or domain that you want to block and select Add.
   Screenshot

   

4. Select Save.

Back to Top

Q/A:  How do I Allow Senders?

You can add the email addresses and domains that you always want to receive email from to your Outlook Safe Senders list. Outlook automatically moves email from safe senders to your inbox.

1. Open Options and navigate to Mail > Accounts > Block or allow:
   1. Click on Settings.
   2. Type Allow in the search box. 
   3. Click on Block or allow.
2. The Options menu appears on the leftmost part of the screen.
3. Under Block or allow, select Automatically filter junk email.
4. Under Safe Senders and Recipients, type the email address or domain that you want to block and select Add.
5. Select Save.

Back to Top

Q/A: How do I manage my email with all this junk email filtering going on?

Sometimes people are just trying to find their email. Other times people find their email in their junk folder – of all places. The help desk often hears people complain about finding spam email (bulk and otherwise) in their inbox.

Here are some tips:

If you cannot find an email message…

1. Check the “junk” folder for the message.  
2. Check that the sender is not on your Outlook “Blocked Senders” list.  
3. Use Outlook search to help find the message.
4. Check your Outlook rules to see if you have any custom rules moving the message to a different folder.
5. If you still cannot find the message, contact the MSU IT Service Desk, 517-432-6200, and report the problem. Be certain to include the sender’s email address, the subject of the email, and the date/time that email was sent.

If you find a spam message in your inbox instead of your junk folder…

Please report it to Microsoft.

1. Go to the inbox folder and find the message that was incorrectly marked as legitimate.
2. Right-click the message, and then click Junk.  
3. In the Report as junk dialog, click Report.

If you find a legitimate message in your junk folder instead of your inbox…

1. Go to the Junk Email folder and find the message that was incorrectly marked as junk.
2. Right-click the message, and then click Mark as not Junk.
   • In the Report as junk dialog, click Report.

To Report a Phishing Message

1. Select the phishing message
2. Select the dropdown next to Report
3. Select Report Phishing
   Screenshot

   

Back to Top