Turn On Junk Mail Filtering
You’ll find the Junk Mail settings in Mail’s Preferences menu.
Custom Junk Mail Filtering Options
Aside from the default options, you can also apply extra rules that decide when the junk filter grabs a message.
Mark as junk mail, but leave in my inbox. This setting lets you check the messages Mail marks as junk without having to leave your inbox. It’s a good setting to use when you first start filtering junk so that you can easily see which messages Mail is applying its rules to.Move it to the Junk mailbox. Mail can move suspected junk mail to the Junk mailbox. If you’re new to using Mail, you might choose this option until you feel comfortable about its accuracy.Perform custom actions and click Advanced to configure. You can set up additional filters to perform custom actions on junk mail.
Sender of message is in your Address Book or Contacts app. This option stops the filter from grabbing messages from people you know.Sender of message is in your Previous Recipients. The spam filter won’t mark messages from people you’ve emailed before.Message was addressed using your full name. Most spammers don’t know your full name and are more likely to send messages using just the first part of your email address hoping it’s your first or last name.
Trust junk mail headers in messages. Many ISPs or spam mail services you may be using add a junk mail header to the email message before sending it along to you. This setting tells Mail to assume the header is correct and assign it as junk. Filter junk mail before applying rules. If you’re using Mail rules, a method to automate everyday routine mail tasks, you can have Mail keep the junk from passing through your Mail rules.
How to Mark Mail as Junk or Not Junk
The filters don’t always work correctly, and you may have to mark messages as spam manually. Apple Mail can also mistakenly flag messages you want to read. Here’s how to fix those mistakes. First, specify whether any or all of the conditions you specify must be met. Your options are all or any. It’s worth scanning the Junk mailbox before you empty it to make sure you don’t miss anything important. The easiest way to do this is to sort messages in the Junk mailbox by subject. So many spam messages have similar subject lines that this speeds up the process of checking them. You can also sort by the sender because many spam messages have names in the From field that are obviously bogus. But there are enough legitimate-sounding names to require double-checking the subject line, which takes more time than just checking by subject in the first place.
