Stopping Email from Going to Spam


Introduction

This article describes how to stop legitimate email from being filtered to the Spam or Junk Email folder.

The university does not whitelist email senders. Additionally, the algorithms employed by Google and Microsoft are not in our control. Therefore, if legitimate items are getting marked as spam, the best recourse is to train the software by marking it as "not-junk".

Contents

Instructions

Gmail

To stop email from specific senders from going to the Spam folder, mark the emails as Not Spam and add the sender to the account's Contacts list. To do this:

  1. Log on to VT Gmail by following the instructions at Accessing Virginia Tech (VT) Gmail in a Browser.
  2. Depending on which version is in use:
    • If you see Compose Mail, you are seeing the basic HTML version. Go to the Basic View section below.

      The Compose link in the Basic HTML version

    • If you see COMPOSE, you are seeing the standard version. Go to the Standard View section below.

Basic View

  1. For each message that was incorrectly filtered to the Spam folder:
    1. In the Spam folder, open the email message.
    2. Above the subject line of the message, click Not spam. The message will be moved from the Spam folder to the Inbox.
  2. If you forward your VT Gmail to another email address such as your VT Exchange Online account, manually forward each message that was originally in your Spam folder. To do this:
    1. In the left column, click Inbox.
    2. For each message that was moved from your Spam folder to your Inbox:
      1. In the Inbox, open the message.
      2. Below the To: line, and above the body of the message, click Forward. Your cursor will be placed in the To: text box.
      3. Type the email address to which you are forwarding. If you are forwarding to your Exchange account, type: ABC@exchange.vt.edu. Replace ABC with your VT Username.
      4. Click Send.

Top of page

Standard View

  1. For each message that was incorrectly filtered to the Spam folder:
    1. In the Spam folder, open the email message or place a check beside the desired email(s).
    2. Above the subject line of the message, click Not spam. The message will be moved from the Spam folder to the Inbox.
    3. To go to the Inbox, in the left column, click Inbox.
    4. In the Inbox, open the message.
    5. Hover your mouse over the sender's name.
    6. On the profile information that appears, click Add to Contacts.
  2. If you forward your VT Gmail to another email address such as your Virginia Tech Exchange Online account, manually forward each message that was originally incorrectly filtered into your Spam folder. To do this:
    1. In the left column, click Inbox.
    2. For each message that was moved from your Spam folder to your Inbox:
      1. Open the message.
      2. To the right of the date that the email was sent, click More options.
      3. From the drop-down, click Forward. Your cursor will be placed in the To: text box.
      4. Type the email address to which you are forwarding.
        (To forward to your Exchange account, type: ABC@exchange.vt.edu. Replace ABC with your VT Username.)
      5. Click Send.

Top of page

Video

Exchange Online

Outlook

  1. To find the email that was incorrectly labeled as spam, click Junk Email.
  2. Right-click the email that was incorrectly labeled.
  3. From the drop-down, click Junk.
  4. Click Not Junk.

Top of page

Outlook Web App

  1. To find the email that was incorrectly labeled as spam, click Junk Email.
  2. Right-click the email that was incorrectly labeled.
  3. From the drop-down, click Junk.
  4. Click Not Junk.

Top of page

Anti-virus / Anti-malware Applications

Some antivirus software can incorrectly mark an email as spam. Please check your antivirus software options to ensure they aren't marking legitimate email as spam.

Top of page