Stop junk emails

Question

I receive thousands of junk emails per day in Outlook Hotmail 365 Home Edition on Windows. Please help!

Answer 1

@LSTJA said

I receive thousands of junk emails per day

If the Spam is being delivered to your Junk folder (not your Inbox) - There is no way to stop it or automatically delete it. 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

Hi,

Was your email hacked at some point?

Please go to https://outlook.live.com/mail/options/mail/junkEmail

Set it to strict.

Also, Create strict rules: Go to Settings > Mail > Rules. Add a new rule targeting repeated words or subjects, and set the action to Delete instead of moving to the junk folder.

I look forward to hearing from you to get the results of the troubleshooting.

Answer 3

For Outlook.com/Hotmail, blocked senders are typically moved to Junk Email, not rejected before delivery. A practical way to reduce the volume is to combine Outlook’s junk settings, safe/block lists, and rules.

1. Block senders or domains
   • In Outlook on the web, go to Settings > Mail > Junk email.
   • Under Blocked senders and domains, select Add blocked sender.
   • Add the sender address or the whole domain.
   • Select OK, then Save.
   • Messages from blocked senders go directly to Junk Email.
2. Add trusted senders to Safe senders
   • Go to Settings > Mail > Junk email.
   • Under Safe senders and domains, select Add safe sender.
   • Enter the trusted address or domain.
   • Select OK, then Save.
   • This helps prevent legitimate mail from being moved to Junk.
3. Use a rule to delete repeat junk from known senders
   • For Outlook.com, a rule can delete messages from specific senders instead of letting them accumulate in Junk.
   • Go to Settings > Mail > Rules > Add new rule.
   • Set Condition to From and enter the sender address.
   • Set Action to Delete.
   • Save the rule.
   • This is useful for persistent junk from the same sender.
4. Mark inbox spam as junk
   • If junk is reaching the Inbox, mark it as spam/junk so filtering can improve.
5. Empty Junk Email regularly
   • Junk email is kept for 30 days before automatic deletion.
   • To clear it sooner, open Junk Email in the folder list and select Delete all.
6. Reduce spam exposure
   • Avoid posting the address publicly.
   • Be cautious with external content in HTML messages, since automatic picture downloads can verify that an address is valid.

Important limitation: for personal Outlook.com/Hotmail accounts, there is no Outlook setting that completely prevents a blocked sender from delivering mail before it reaches the mailbox; blocking mainly causes those messages to be filtered as junk.

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