unsolicited ads in Outlook

Question

unsolicited ads in Outlook

debbie skinner 0

I have a new laptop & now using Windows 11 & Outlook for emails. I am getting repeated ads sent through to my emails that I can't seem to opt out of or unsubscribe from. I'm with Spark xtra for emails, have contacted them & they are concerned these spam ads are getting into my emails as they don't show on the server.

The tech person where I bought the laptop said these ads are generated by Microsoft. How can I turn these off & stop them coming in? these Ads also appear in the personal folders of the Outlook. It is very frustrating and annoying.

Thanks

Debbie

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Hendrix-V 19,940 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi debbie skinner,

I can understand how frustrating this would be, especially when the ads appear throughout Outlook and not just in your Inbox.

One thing that may help narrow down the cause is to check whether these items are actual email messages or Outlook content. If the entries appear only within the Outlook app and are not visible when viewing the same mailbox through Spark/Xtra webmail, that can help identify whether they are being displayed by Outlook rather than being delivered through your email provider.

As a quick test, please try:

Sign in to your Spark/Xtra mailbox using webmail.
Check the same folder where you see the advertisements in Outlook.
Compare whether the ads appear in both places or only in Outlook.

If the ads are only visible in Outlook, sharing a screenshot of one of the entries (with any personal information removed) may help determine whether it is an Outlook advertisement or an email message from a sender. This can make it easier to identify the appropriate next steps.

I hope this helps point you in the right direction. Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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

debbie skinner 0 Reputation points

2026-08-27T04:32:41.0266667+00:00

Hi,

spark webmail does not show these ads, nor do they appear on my phone using the Gmail app, only when I'm using Outlook on my phone and laptop
Hendrix-V 19,940 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-27T05:56:32.3466667+00:00
Hi debbie skinner,

Thank you for confirming that. Since the ads do not appear in Spark webmail or the Gmail app, and only appear in Outlook on both your phone and laptop, that suggests the content is being displayed by the Outlook application rather than coming from your email provider.

To help determine whether this is Outlook advertising, could you check if the items have an"Ad" label displayed near the message? Outlook-generated advertisements are typically marked this way.

You may also wish to verify which version of Outlook you're using and whether you're signed in with a Microsoft 365 subscription account:

Open Outlook.

Go to File > Office Account (classic Outlook) or Settings > Accounts (new Outlook).

Confirm whether the account is associated with an active Microsoft 365 subscription.

If the items are labeled"Ad", and you're using the free Outlook experience, they may be part of the Outlook interface rather than actual email messages.
Hendrix-V 19,940 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-28T06:51:33.5866667+00:00

Hi debbie skinner,

If you have any further questions or updates regarding this issue, please feel free to let me know in the Comments section. I'd be happy to assist you.

Answer 2

If the items are labeled Ad, they are part of the free, ad-supported Outlook experience in Outlook.com and new Outlook for Windows. They can appear alongside messages in the inbox and can reappear even after being dismissed.

What can be done:

Confirm they are Outlook ads
- In the message list, Outlook ads are marked with an Ad label.
- In free personal Outlook use, these ads are expected behavior.
If using a Microsoft 365 subscription, verify the subscribed account is the one added to Outlook
- Microsoft states that users with a Microsoft 365 subscription should not see ads in Outlook.
- If ads still appear, check that the Outlook.com email address connected to that subscription is the one added in the Outlook app.
- Also verify the subscription status in the Microsoft account Services area.
If the account is not covered by Microsoft 365, ads cannot be turned off in the free experience
- The supported way to stop seeing Outlook ads is to upgrade the Outlook.com address to a Microsoft 365 subscription.
If the concern is spam or unwanted email rather than Outlook-generated ads
- Go to Settings > Mail > Junk email.
- Under Blocked senders and domains, add unwanted sender addresses or domains.
- Select OK, then Save.
- This moves mail from those senders to Junk Email.
If blocked senders still get through
- The sender may be changing addresses or hiding the real sending address.
- In that case, check the internet message headers and block the real sender address, or create an inbox rule for common words in those messages.
If the issue is ad personalization, not ad display
- Ads can still appear, but personalization can be reduced.
- In Outlook.com or new Outlook for Windows, go to Settings > General > Advertising Preferences.
- Personalized ads can also be managed in the Microsoft privacy dashboard.

Important distinction:

Outlook ads are inserted by Outlook and labeled Ad.
Spam email is regular email from senders and should be handled through Junk email, blocking, and rules.
If these items appear in Outlook folders and are labeled Ad, that matches Microsoft’s ad-supported personal Outlook behavior rather than mail coming from the Spark server.