Manage junk e-mail

Junk e-mail can strain networks, clog e-mail servers, and fill mailboxes with inane and often highly offensive messages and images. Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access helps you control unwanted and unsolicited messages by allowing you to do the following:

• Create lists of trusted and untrusted e-mail addresses and domains.
• Block links to external content that can make you the target of junk e-mail.

Manage junk e-mail lists

Use the procedures in this section to specify e-mail addresses and domains you want—or don't want—to receive messages from.

Notes  When checking incoming messages, your junk e-mail filter gives precedence to e-mail addresses over domains. For example, suppose the example.com domain is on your Blocked Senders List and the address someone@example.com is on your Safe Senders List. The address someone@example.com will be allowed into your Inbox, but all other e-mail addresses with the domain example.com will be sent to your Junk E-mail folder.

When entering domains, you don't need to include the "at" (@) sign. Outlook Web Access automatically adds it.

Modify your Safe Senders List

Safe senders are people and domains you want to receive e-mail messages from.

1. In the Navigation Pane, click Options.
2. Under Privacy and Junk E-mail Prevention, select the Filter Junk E-mail check box.
3. Click Manage Junk E-mail Lists.
4. To add a sender to the list, under Safe Senders, click Add, type an e-mail address or domain in the text box, and then click OK.
5. To modify a sender in the list, select the sender, and then click Edit. Change the entry, and then click OK.
6. To include your contacts as safe senders, select the Trust e-mail from your Contacts check box.
7. Click Save and Close.

Modify your Safe Recipients List

Safe recipients are distribution lists that you are a member of and want to receive e-mail messages for. You can also add individual e-mail addresses to your Safe Recipients List. For example, you might want to allow messages that are not only sent to you but also to a particular person.

1. In the Navigation Pane, click Options.
2. Under Privacy and Junk E-mail Prevention, select the Filter Junk E-mail check box.
3. Click Manage Junk E-mail Lists.
4. To add a recipient to the list, under Safe Recipients, click Add, type an e-mail address or domain in the text box, and then click OK.
5. To modify a recipient in the list, select the recipient, and then click Edit. Change the entry, and then click OK.
6. Click Save and Close.

Allow e-mail messages only from your safe lists into your Inbox

In addition to using the safe and blocked lists to manage incoming messages, you can further limit the messages that get delivered to your Inbox. Outlook Web Access provides a setting that allows messages only from addresses or domains in your Safe Senders or Safe Recipients lists into your Inbox. All other messages are delivered directly to your Junk E-mail folder.

1. In the Navigation Pane, click Options.
2. Under Privacy and Junk E-mail Prevention, select the Filter Junk E-mail check box.
3. Click Manage Junk E-mail Lists.
4. Select the Treat all e-mail as Junk E-mail unless it has come from a member of your Safe Senders or Safe Recipients lists check box. This setting has the same effect as the Safe Lists Only junk e-mail protection level in Microsoft Office Outlook 2003.

Note  This is a fairly restrictive junk e-mail setting. Check your Junk E-mail folder occasionally for messages you don't want to treat as junk e-mail.

5. To close the Manage Junk E-mail Lists dialog box, click OK, and then click Save and Close.

Modify your Blocked Senders List

Blocked senders are people and domains you don't want to receive e-mail messages from. Messages received from any e-mail address or domain on your Blocked Senders List are sent directly to your Junk E-mail folder.

1. In the Navigation Pane, click Options.
2. Under Privacy and Junk E-mail Prevention, select the Filter Junk E-mail check box.
3. Click Manage Junk E-mail Lists.
4. To add a sender to the list, under Blocked Senders, click Add, type an e-mail address or domain in the text box, and then click OK.
5. To modify a sender in the list, select the recipient, and then click Edit. Change the entry, and then click OK.
6. Click Save and Close.

Block links to external content in HTML e-mail messages

HTML messages you receive can include links to external content, such as pictures or sounds. These links aren't the kind that are underlined (hot) and that you click on. They are references in the HTML source code to an external location on the Internet. When you open or preview the message, your computer downloads the external content so that the picture can be displayed or the sound played. This is typically done by legitimate senders to avoid sending large messages.

However, junk e-mail senders use the downloading of external content by your computer to verify your e-mail address as "live." Once they know there is a real person associated with your address, you can then become the target of more junk e-mail. External content used to identify you in this way is called a Web beacon.

To block links to external content

1. In the Navigation Pane, click Options.
2. Under Privacy and Junk E-mail Prevention, select the Block external content in HTML e-mail messages check box.

   Notes  Setting this option also removes Web beacons from your replies and forwarded messages.

   Your server administrator may set this option to be always selected.