Legitimate Emails going to Junk Folder in Outlook 365? Here Is How to Fix It

Overview

Are you facing the issue of Office 365 emails going to spam? A junk folder can also be a source of problems when normal emails start going to it. In this guide, we will discuss the solution to fix this problem of Office 365 emails going to the Spam folder. Like every other mode of communication, emails are also not free from unwanted intrusion. We have spam or junk emails as the counterpart of unwanted and marketing calls. Luckily, every email client has a spam or junk folder where they put unwanted emails.

Junk or spam folders are meant to filter out unwanted emails, and it works as a safety net for users. However, when it filters or flags legitimate emails as spam, it could lead to disruption in workflow and can eventually lead to important communication loss. Let’s explore the reasons why this happens and learn the actionable steps to resolve the issue permanently. First, let us go through user queries such as - “Why are my emails going to junk mail in Outlook 365?”:

User Queries

Query 1:

We use Outlook Office 365 at our University as an official email. For the last few days, I was not receiving any emails. When I contacted my supervisor, he told me that he had sent me 4/5 emails but got no reply. Hearing this, I checked my junk folder and saw all emails going to the Junk folder in Office 365. I was wondering what led to this situation. I have not marked his emails as junk before but still, Office 365 email goes to junk folder. That day I marked his emails as ‘Not Spam’ but it is not working. I still have to check my junk folder to get his emails. Please help so that my internal emails going to the junk folder Office 365 can be stopped.

Query 2:

Since last month, installment payment reminder mail from my bank has been going to the junk folder of my Office 365 email. For this reason, I almost missed my last installment. To avoid the same Office 365 email going to spam this month, I have included that ID in the safe senders list. Unfortunately for me, this method did not work and even now my emails going to the junk folder - Outlook 2010. Can anyone tell me how to stop internal emails from going to the junk folder of Office 365?

Why are My Emails Going to Junk Mail in Outlook 365?

There can be several reasons why your emails are landing in the spam folder instead of inbox. Check out the below possible reasons and make sure all the settings are correctly configured in Office 365.

Some of them are as follows:

• The first and most common reason could be due to the strict spam filter policies. If you have configured overly aggressive spam filter policies via EOP (Exchange Online Protection). Then chances are - your legitimate email can land in your junk folder.
• Another common reason is the Incorrect configuration of Safe Sender or Blocked Sender lists. If you have mistakenly blocked someone then all the emails from that sender will land in the junk folder.
• If the email has excessive hyperlinks, suspicious or large attachments, or triggering words such as - “free” “urgent” etc. Then the chances are high that It might land in junk.
• If the sender’s domain or IP is blacklisted then it would automatically land in the spam folder due to inbuilt spam protection.
• Another technical reason that might hinder the email delivery is due to misconfiguration of SPF, DKIM, or DMARC settings.

By addressing the above-listed possible reasons you can significantly reduce the chances of landing legitimate emails in the junk folder.

If you are still now sure and facing the same issue then let’s discuss the different ways that can be used to fix it permanently.

Quick Fixes to Stop Office 365 Emails Going to Junk Folder

This issue occurs when Office 365 considers emails from trusted sources as spam. This results in legitimate emails ending up in the Junk folder. During this situation, users have to check their junk folder to see if it contains any legitimate emails.

To get rid of internal emails going to the junk folder of Office 365 issues, users can apply these techniques. If you find emails in your Outlook.com Junk folder that shouldn't be there, follow these steps to fix it:

Fix 1. To Mark an Email as Not Junk:

• Step 1. Open your Junk Email folder.
• Step 2. Select the emails you want to keep.
• Step 2. Select the emails you want to keep.
• Step 3. From the top toolbar, choose "Not junk" (or "Not spam"). Alternatively, open the email and click "It's not junk."

Fix 2. Check Blocked Senders and Safe Sender Lists

If you accidentally blocked someone:

• Step 1. Open your Blocked Senders list.
• Step 2. Remove the person's name from the list.
• Step 2. Add the sender to your Safe Senders list to ensure their emails come to your inbox.

Fix 3. Adjust Spam Filter Policies

First, users should verify ‘Advanced Spam Filter’ policies to check if an entire domain has been blocked. If yes, then all emails coming from that particular domain will go to Junk. Users can disable advanced spam filtering options that cause such problems. Users can also create a ‘Safe Senders List’ in Office 365 to stop Office 365 emails from going to spam by going to Settings>> Options>> Block or Allow.

Note that Exchange Online Protection (EOP) does not keep track of domains. It keeps only senders and recipients.

Administrators can fine-tune spam filter policies in Office 365:

• Step 1. Access the Exchange Admin Center (EAC).
• Step 2. Navigate to Protection > Spam Filter.
• Step 3. Disable overly restrictive policies, or whitelist trusted domains to prevent filtering errors.

Fix 4. Use Directory Synchronization (For Admins)

This technique applies only to the Exchange Online users. Usually, Office 365 email users are by default protected by Exchange Online Protection (EOP). In the case of EOP-only subscribers, they can use director synchronization to fix this problem.

Only admins can synchronize Safe Sender settings with Exchange Online Protection (EOP) to ensure consistency across users. Directory synchronization allows admins to synchronize users’ settings with EOP services. Thus EOP will have access to the user’s ‘Safe Senders List’ and function accordingly.

Fix 5. Setting Connection Filter’s IP Allow list

To fix the false negative issue of O365 emails to Junk, users can add senders’ IP addresses to IP allowed list of connection filters. When users enable the ‘Safe List Only’ option, they receive emails sent by the enlisted senders only to their inbox. In this case, adding an IP address cannot eliminate the problem. As Office 365 email going to spam can’t be relinquished with IP.

How to add an IP address to the IP Allow list of Connection Filter?

• By extracting the header of emails sent by preferred senders from Outlook or OWA.
• By following the manual in ‘Use the EAC to change the default connection filter policy.
• By manually finding the IP address with the Message Analyzer tab of Remote Connectivity. Analyzer. Users can also use the CIP tag of the X-Forefront-Antispam-Report header.

Note: This may not completely resolve all spam-related issues if other filtering settings override it.

Fix 6. Verify Junk Mail Settings Using PowerShell

Using the below PowerShell commands the Office 365 admins can verify and modify junk mail settings.

Check Configuration:

Get-MailboxJunkEmailConfiguration -Identity user@yourdomain.com

Modify Settings:

Set-MailboxJunkEmailConfiguration -Identity user@yourdomain.com -TrustedSendersAndDomains 

Note:

• If TrustedListsOnly value is true, the setting is enabled.
• If the ContactsTrusted value is true, the user trusts both Contacts and Safe Senders.
• TrustedSendersAndDomains value shows the contents of the user’s Safe Senders Lists.

Fix 7. Disable the "Safe Lists Only" Option in Outlook

If there is a message with a yellow-colored safety tip, it means the email is in the junk folder. Users can check the header of the email whether it still contains SFV:SKN or SFV:NSPM stamp. It happens because Outlook's ‘Safe Lists Only’ setting overrides the EOP setting. In case emails are going to the junk folder irrespective of marking, turn off the option ‘Safe Lists Only.

To disable it:

• Step 1. Go to Junk Email Options in Outlook.
• Step 2. Uncheck the "Safe Lists Only" option.

Hack Tip for - How to Stop Emails Going to Junk Outlook 365 Admin Query

Conclusion

Misclassification of emails in Office 365 can lead to crucial data loss and greatly disrupt productivity. Which can hamper the workflow and can create frustration. Therefore, we have discussed them all, from basic steps like marking emails as "Not Junk" to advanced configurations using PowerShell, this guide provides everything you need to fix the issue.

Admins or users can implement these techniques to fix O365 emails going to the Junk folder. Additionally, it is always a great idea to protect your critical data with regular backups using the above-discussed tool. By implementing these solutions, you can resolve junk folder issues permanently and maintain seamless email communication.