Mark Emails as Spam in Outlook Using Native Features
As an Outlook user, it’s useful to know how to mark messages as junk manually using the web and desktop apps. While not nearly as convenient and flexible as Clean Email, the manual approach is available even when you can’t use the third-party inbox cleaner.
Web (Outlook.com)
To mark messages as junk on the web:
- Go to: https://outlook.com/
- Click the sender icon next to the message you want to select.
- Click the Report button.
- Select the Report junk option.
Desktop
Let’s now take a look at how to mark emails as spam in Outlook on Mac and PC. The process is quite similar across the two operating systems, but there are a couple of notable differences you need to know about.
To label messages as junk using the Outlook desktop client for Mac
- Launch the desktop client on your Mac.
- Right-click the message you want to label as junk.
- Select the Report Junk menu.
- Choose the Junk option.
The instructions above are intended for the new Outlook. If you’re still using the legacy version of Outlook, then you need to select Junk → Junk (or Spam → Spam) at the top of the screen instead. Alternatively, you can right-click a message, select Spam Emails, and then click the Mark as Junk option.
💡 Tip: To junk mail in bulk using the Outlook app on Mac, you can hold the Command key while clicking the items you want to select.
To label messages as junk using the Outlook desktop client for PC
- Launch the desktop client on your Windows.
- Right-click the message you want to label as junk.
- Select the Junk menu.
- Choose the Block Sender option.
The message should now be in the Junk folder, and future messages from this sender will be blocked as well.
Unfortunately, it can take a lot of time to find and block each and every spam message in your inbox because you need to repeat the same steps over and over again.
What’s more, the spam filter used to protect Outlook users is notoriously leaky, and there are reports of users still receiving the same junk messages that have already been marked as spam. Yes, it’s possible to create explicit rules from settings in Outlook, but the process is not as user friendly as it could be.
If you’re thinking that there has to be a better way to mark Outlook messages as spam, you’re right! There are third-party inbox organizers like Clean Email, which can intelligently and reliably group related spam messages together with a click.
Mark Messages as Spam in Outlook Using Clean Email
Marking email as spam using only Outlook’s native features often feels like playing an endless game of whack-a-mole. As soon as you mark one message, other messages from the same sender continue to remain in your inbox.
Fortunately, there are inbox organizers like Clean Email, which can group messages based on their sender, subject, allowing you to select messages in bulk and mark them as spam with a click. Also, you can apply automatic email rules (called Auto Clean rules) with a click to the selected multiple groups of messages. Here’s how it works:
- Go to https://app.clean.email and sign in with your Outlook email address.
- Select Inbox in the left pane.
- Click the Group By drop-down menu to tell Clean Email how you want it to group your messages.
- Click the icon next to each message group you want to select.
- Click the Spam button and confirm.
This way, you can mark as spam hundreds of messages at the same time. Best of all, it’s just as easy to create email rules to mark future messages that match the same criteria as spam. You just need to click the Create Rule button with your messages selected. Then, choose the desired action (Mark as Spam) and click Create Rule. You can also enable the Apply to existing messages toggle.
By combining Clean Email’s message grouping capabilities with its Auto Clean rules, you can, for example, automatically mark as spam Outlook messages with the same subject line regardless of which email addresses spammers and unscrupulous marketers send them from.
You can manage Auto Clean rules by selecting the Auto Clean tool in the left pane. There, you can click the Plus icon at the top to create a new rule from scratch. You can create as many rules as you need to keep your inbox clean, so don’t hesitate to take full advantage of them.
💡 Tip: You can enable Clean Email’s Screener feature to hold messages from unknown senders until you have time to review them and decide which of them you want to block and which you want to allow.
With these and other Clean Email features, you should be able to achieve a decisive victory against spam.
FAQ
How can I keep spam out of my inbox?
Besides marking messages as junk, as described in this article, you can also use block all unknown senders, unsubscribe from newsletters or promotions, and more.
When does Outlook delete messages that are marked as spam?
Outlook automatically deletes junk after 30 days.
What should I do if an email ends up in the junk folder by mistake?
If a message ends up in the junk folder by mistake, then it’s possible and recommended to mark it as not junk, and you can learn how to do so on Microsoft’s website.
Is it possible to create filter rules to mark emails as spam on mobile?
No, it’s not possible to create filter rules using the native Outlook email client for mobile devices. To create Outlook spam filters on a mobile device, use the mobile version of Clean Email for iPhone & iPad or Android.
Can I create a spam rule in Outlook using native feature?
Yes, you can create a spam rule in both the web version and the desktop version of Outlook to automatically block all messages matching your desired criteria.
