phishing icon missing

Question

phishing icon missing in my company's outlook emails

Answer 1

Hi @Daniel D Archer,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Regarding the missing "Report" or "Report Phishing" icon in Classic Outlook for Windows, this behavior typically stems from one of three factors: an unsupported Outlook build, organizational policy restrictions, or specific add-in configurations. 

Please try the following steps to resolve this: 

1/ Verify Outlook Build and Updates 

The integrated reporting functionality requires a supported version of Outlook. 

• Navigate to File > Office Account. 
• Ensure your software is fully updated to the latest build available for your organization. 

2/ Check Ribbon Layout and Overflow 

The icon might be present but tucked away depending on your screen resolution or ribbon settings. 

• Look for a button simply labeled Report (not necessarily “Phishing”). 
• Check the overflow menu (ellipsis ...) at the far right of the Home ribbon. The intended experience is a single Report button that provides a dropdown for Phishing, Junk, and Not Junk. 
• 

3/ Check Outlook on the Web (OWA) 

Sign in to your mailbox via a web browser. If the reporting icon is visible there but missing from your desktop application, the issue is likely specific to the local client rather than a global tenant policy. 

4/ Review Add-in and Ribbon Status 

If your organization utilizes a dedicated reporting add-in, it may have been disabled or hidden:

• Check disabled items: Go to File > Options > Add-ins. In the Manage dropdown at the bottom, select Disabled Items and click Go. If a reporting add-in appears, select it and click Enable. 
• Verify COM Add-ins: Return to the Add-ins menu, select COM Add-ins from the dropdown, and click Go. Ensure the checkbox for "Report Message" or "Microsoft Defender for Office 365" is checked. 
• Add-in store: Check Home > All apps (or Get Add-ins) and search for "Report Phishing" to see if it is available for manual installation. 

If the icon is missing for multiple users in your company, please reach out to your IT admin or security team. They should verify the User reported settings in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal to ensure that monitor/reporting in Outlook is enabled for your profile.

If possible, could you please share a bit of information to help narrow this down? Please provide the following:

• Your Outlook version and build number (found under File > Office Account) 
• And if the button appears in Outlook on the web. 

I hope this response has helped address your question and clarify the behavior you're experiencing. Please feel free to reply if you have any further questions.

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. I look forward to continuing the conversation.

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Answer 2

In Outlook there is no dedicated “phishing icon” that always appears on messages. Phishing and suspicious messages are indicated in other ways, and reporting is done through menu commands or add-ins.

For Outlook for business, use these built‑in indicators and reporting options:

1. Check phishing/suspicious indicators
   • A "?" in the sender image: Outlook shows this when it cannot verify the sender using email authentication. Treat such messages with caution, especially if the sender is unfamiliar or normally appears verified.
   • A “via” tag next to the sender: If the real sending domain differs from what appears in the From address, Outlook shows an underlined via tag with the actual sending domain. Unknown messages with a via tag should be treated cautiously.
   • Banners about unverified sender: Outlook may show a banner such as “we could not verify the sender” when something in the email headers is suspicious.
2. How to report phishing from Outlook (desktop)
   • Use the Report Message or Report Phishing add‑in if it is deployed by the organization:
     • Open the suspicious message.
     • On the ribbon, select Report message and then choose Phishing.
   • If the Report Message add‑in is not visible, an administrator may need to deploy or enable it in Microsoft 365.
3. How to report phishing from Outlook.com / Outlook on the web
   • In the message list, select the suspicious email.
   • Select Junk (or the arrow next to it) and then choose Phishing.
4. If phishing messages are not being flagged
   • An administrator can inspect message headers (for example, the X‑Forefront‑Antispam‑Report header) to see if any organization settings are causing phishing/spam filtering to be skipped (e.g., SCL:-1). Adjusting anti‑phishing and anti‑spam policies may restore expected warnings and behavior.

If the organization expects a specific phishing “badge” or icon and it is not appearing, an administrator should verify that:

• Outlook is up to date.
• Anti‑phishing and junk email policies are configured correctly.
• The Report Message / Report Phishing add‑ins are deployed and enabled for users.

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References:

• Phishing and suspicious behavior in Outlook
• How to protect against phishing attacks
• Protect yourself from phishing
• Security and Privacy in Outlook Web App
• Tune anti-phishing protection
• Protect users against phishing and other attacks in Microsoft 365 for business