Receiving 200 junk emails a day...make it stop please!

Question

I'm receiving up to 200 emails a day in my junk folder. I've selected them all reported them for phishing hundreds of times, set up rules with key words and still I receive all this unwanted junk.

I can delete 150 then within a minute another five suddenly appear. Yes I know they're going in Junk but I just want to be able to check my junk for genuine emails for say things like confirmation emails for things I've ordered, or service updates or whatever. Please can anyone offer and guidance or support to help solve this issue. Thanks

Answer 1

@Rhys Davies said

I just want to be able to check my junk for genuine emails

You do not have any real control over mail delivered directly to your Junk folder. This is a long standing complaint from numerous users, myself included.

All I can suggest is that you look at the Answer by "Hornblower409 Apr 23, 2026" in
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5867493/how-to-solve-receiving-a-huge-number-of-spam-email

That Answer has instructions for how to vote for some Feature Request that would give users more control over their Junk folder.

And some suggestions for MANUAL processes you can use to pick out and Delete any "known" Spam from the Junk folder so you don't have so much to sift thru looking for legitimate emails.

Answer 2

Please note that this is a user-to-user community. As moderators, I have limited access to internal development details. My role is to direct users to the appropriate support channels and resources. While I cannot provide backend analysis, I will do my best to assist you within my responsibilities.   

---

Hi Rhys Davies

Please reply with these details, but do not include personal account information:

• Are the junk messages only going to Junk Email, or are some reaching the Inbox?
• Do they repeat the same sender domain, or is every sender different?
• Are legitimate messages still going to Junk after adding them to Safe senders?
• Are you using only Outlook.com on the web, or also Outlook mobile or new Outlook?

Also follow these steps:

1) Understand what blocking and reporting can and cannot do

In Outlook.com, blocking a sender or domain does not stop that sender from attempting to send mail. It moves messages from that sender or domain to the Junk Email folder. Reporting a phishing message reports the sender, but it does not automatically block that sender from sending additional messages.

2) Protect legitimate messages with Safe senders

• Open Outlook.com.
• Go to Settings > Mail > Junk email.
• Under Safe senders and domains, add important senders, such as:
  • Banks
  • Delivery companies
  • Stores
  • Work contacts
  • Services you trust
• Select Save.

3) Block domains only when the domain is truly repeated

To block a repeated domain:

• Go to Settings > Mail > Junk email.
• Under Blocked senders and domains, add the domain only, for example: example.com.
• Do not add display names, brackets, or extra characters.
• Select Save.

4) Replace broad keyword rules with stricter rules

• Go to Settings > Mail > Rules.
• Review your current rules.
• Delete any broad rules that may catch legitimate messages.
• Create a new rule only for repeated spam patterns, such as:
  • Exact subject phrases
  • Exact sender domains
  • Repeated wording
• Set the action to Delete or Move to a separate folder.
• Add exceptions for trusted senders if needed.
• Save the rule.

5) Do not interact with suspicious messages

Do not reply, click links, download attachments, or use unsubscribe links in suspicious junk messages. If the message looks like phishing, report it from Outlook.com by selecting the message and choosing Report > Report phishing.

6) Consider using an Outlook.com alias for future sign-ups

If your main address is already heavily exposed, you can create an Outlook.com alias and use it for future online accounts or subscriptions.

• Add a new Outlook.com alias.
• Start using the new alias for trusted accounts.
• Keep the old address active for existing mail.
• Be careful before removing any Microsoft-domain alias. If you remove an alias from a Microsoft domain, such as @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @live.com, or @msn.com, it is permanently deleted and cannot be associated with any Microsoft account again.

7) Contact Outlook.com support if the volume remains unmanageable

If the junk volume continues at this level after using Safe senders, domain blocking, and stricter rules, contact Outlook.com support from the affected account.

To contact support:

• Open Outlook.com.
• Select Help.
• Search for the issue.
• If self-help does not resolve it, scroll to Still need help? and select Yes.

Please tell me how it goes. If the problem persists, please don’t hesitate to reply to this thread and I will be happy to help. Have a lovely day!  

If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".   

Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Answer 3

Nobody can prevent someone (more likely some organization) from sending spam to your email address. Nobody has targeted you personally, since all the sending is being done by software. If the spam doesn't stop after a few weeks, your only recourse is to abandon that email address and get a new one.