Email · Repair guide

How to stop emails going to spam

9 fixes, easiest first4 min readUpdated November 2026

Quick fix

For mail you receive, open Spam or Junk, select the good email and choose Not spam (Gmail, Yahoo), It's not junk (Outlook.com) or move it to the Inbox (iCloud), then add the sender to your contacts or safe senders. For mail you send, ask the recipient to do the same, and if you own the domain, set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC.

What it means

"Emails going to spam" can mean two things. Either good mail you receive is being filtered into your Spam or Junk folder, which you can fix by marking it as not spam, or mail you send is landing in other people's spam, which usually comes down to how and from where you send it. This page covers both, with extra steps for people who send email from their own domain.

Common causes

  • The spam filter mistook a real message for junk, often from a new sender
  • You once blocked the sender or created a filter that sends their mail to spam
  • The message contains links, requests for personal details or looks like a mass mailing
  • You are sending large volumes from a free personal email address
  • Your own domain is missing SPF, DKIM or DMARC records
  • Recipients have marked your earlier emails as spam

How to fix it

Work down the list. Each fix is safe to try before moving on to the next.

01If you use Gmail, mark good mail as not spamEasy

  1. On a computer, open Gmail and select Spam in the left menu (under More if you don't see it).
  2. Tick the box next to the good email and select Not spam at the top.
  3. In the Gmail app on Android, iPhone or iPad: tap Menu > Spam, open the email, tap More (three dots) at the top right, then tap Report not spam.
  4. If the email shows an unconfirmed sender warning and you trust it, select Report not spam.
  5. Add the sender to Google Contacts so their future mail stays out of Spam.
  6. If you once blocked the sender, unblock them in Settings > See all settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses; blocked senders still go to Spam.

Why it helps: Marking a message as not spam moves it to your inbox, and Gmail stops sending that sender's mail to Spam.

02If you use Yahoo Mail, mark good mail as not spamEasy

  1. In Yahoo Mail, select the More options icon, then Spam.
  2. Select the email you want to keep.
  3. Select Not spam. The email moves to your Inbox and future mail from that sender goes there too.
  4. If you read Yahoo Mail in another app, Yahoo suggests turning off that app's own spam filter and managing spam in Yahoo Mail instead.

Why it helps: Yahoo learns from your Not spam choices and lets that sender's future mail through.

03If you use Outlook.com, mark mail as not junk and add safe sendersEasy

  1. Open the Junk Email folder in Outlook.com.
  2. Select the good message and choose It's not junk.
  3. To keep that sender out of Junk, select Settings at the top of the page, then Mail > Junk email.
  4. Under Safe senders and domains, select Add safe sender, enter the address or domain, and select Save.
  5. In the same place, check Blocked senders and domains and remove anyone you want mail from.

Why it helps: Safe senders are trusted, so their mail isn't sent to Junk Email.

04If you use iCloud Mail, move good mail out of JunkEasy

  1. iPhone or iPad Mail app: open the email in the Junk mailbox, tap the Move to Folder button (folder icon), then tap Inbox.
  2. Mac Mail app: select the email in Junk and click the Junk button in the toolbar, or drag the email to Inbox in the sidebar.
  3. iCloud.com: open Junk, select the email, then select Mark (or the More button) and choose Move to Inbox.
  4. Add the sender to your contacts; Apple says mail from your iCloud contacts doesn't go to Junk.
  5. Check Junk regularly: iCloud deletes messages there automatically after 30 days.

Why it helps: Moving a message out of Junk teaches iCloud Mail that the sender is wanted.

05Check your filters for rules that send mail to spamEasy

  1. Gmail: go to Settings > See all settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses and look for filters that delete mail or skip the Inbox.
  2. Yahoo Mail: select More options > Settings > Filters and look for filters moving mail to Spam or another folder.
  3. Edit or delete any filter that catches mail you want.
  4. Leave messages that really are spam where they are; Yahoo says mail in Spam doesn't count against your storage.

Why it helps: A filter you made earlier can keep sending a sender's mail away from your inbox.

06If your sent emails land in other people's spam, ask them to mark you safeEasy

  1. Ask the person to check their spam or junk folder for your email.
  2. Ask them to mark it as not spam or not junk.
  3. Ask them to add your address to their contacts or safe senders list.
  4. Send a short test email afterward to check it reaches the inbox.

Why it helps: When a recipient marks your mail as safe, their mail service learns to deliver your future emails to the inbox.

07If your sent emails land in spam, change how you sendEasy

  1. Only email people who expect to hear from you. Never buy email lists.
  2. Avoid unnecessary links and never ask for passwords or personal details by email.
  3. Don't send newsletters or large mailings from a free personal address. Free accounts have daily limits (Gmail allows about 500 emails a day), and Google suggests a Google Group for big lists.
  4. Use subject lines that match the message; don't add "Re:" or "Fwd:" unless it is a real reply or forward.
  5. Keep your From address and name the same each time.

Why it helps: Spam filters look at what you send and how many people you send to, not just the words in the message.

Run this website? Fixes for site owners

08If you send from your own domain, set up SPF, DKIM and DMARCAdvancedSite owners

  1. SPF: a DNS record listing the servers allowed to send mail for your domain.
  2. DKIM: a digital signature your mail service adds to each message so receivers can confirm it really came from your domain and wasn't changed. Use a key of at least 1024 bits, 2048 if offered.
  3. DMARC: a DNS record telling receivers what to do with mail that fails SPF or DKIM checks; a policy of none is fine to start.
  4. Get the exact records from your email provider and add them in your domain's DNS settings. Gmail requires at least SPF or DKIM from everyone who emails Gmail users.
  5. If you send more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail, you need all three, a From domain that matches SPF or DKIM, and one-click unsubscribe in marketing mail.

Why it helps: These records prove your mail is genuine, and mail without them is far more likely to be marked as spam or rejected.

09If you run your own mail server or send in bulk, watch your spam rateAdvancedSite owners

  1. Make sure your sending IP address has a reverse DNS (PTR) record that matches its hostname, and send over TLS.
  2. Monitor your domain in Google Postmaster Tools.
  3. Keep the user-reported spam rate below 0.1%, and never let it reach 0.3%.
  4. Increase sending volume gradually and slow down if messages are deferred or bounce.

Why it helps: Gmail filters or blocks senders whose mail many people report as spam or whose servers are set up incorrectly.

Check it's fixed

  • New mail from the sender you rescued arrives in your inbox, not Spam or Junk.
  • A test email you send to a Gmail, Yahoo or Outlook.com address lands in the inbox.
  • For domain owners: your email provider's tools or Google Postmaster Tools show SPF, DKIM and DMARC passing.

When to get help

If wanted mail keeps landing in spam after you mark it, contact your email provider's help center. If you send from your own domain and still land in spam with SPF, DKIM and DMARC in place, ask your email host or web developer to review your DNS records and sending setup.

Questions

Why do emails from someone I know keep going to spam?

Their message may have looked like spam, or their domain isn't set up correctly. Mark it as not spam and add them to your contacts or safe senders; if it keeps happening, let them know so they can check their settings.

Why are my emails going to other people's spam folders?

Common reasons are sending to many people at once from a free address, emails full of links, recipients reporting your mail as spam, or a domain without SPF, DKIM and DMARC.

Is it safe to open emails in my spam folder?

Be careful. Don't click links or open attachments unless you know the sender and were expecting the email. If something looks wrong, leave it there.

What are SPF, DKIM and DMARC in simple terms?

SPF lists who may send mail for your domain, DKIM signs each message to prove it is genuine, and DMARC tells receiving services what to do when those checks fail.

Related fixes

How to fix Gmail not receiving emailsSearch for the missing email using Mail & Spam & Trash, then check the Promotions and Updates tabs and your Spam folder. If it isn&#How to fix email not sendingMake sure you are online, then open the Outbox, check the recipient's address and tap Send again. If it still fails, try sending from yHow to fix Yahoo Mail not workingSign in to Yahoo Mail in a web browser on a computer and send yourself a test email. If that works, the problem is your app or device: updatHow to fix Outlook not receiving emailsCheck whether the missing mail appears in Outlook on the web, then look in the Other tab, Junk Email and your rules. In classic Outlook, mak

Still stuck?

Paste the exact message to find the closest fix, or search it on Google, Microsoft, Apple, Reddit and YouTube.

Sources