• Article

Configure junk e-mail settings in Outlook 2010

 

Applies to: Office 2010

Topic Last Modified: 2012-02-29

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Use Junk E-mail Filter lists and configure the junk E-mail Filter and automatic picture download to help users avoid receipt of junk email messages.

This article describes how to create Junk E-mail Filter lists in Microsoft Outlook 2010, and how to configure the Junk E-mail Filter and automatic picture download to screen out unwanted email messages..

In this article:

  • Overview

  • Before you begin

  • Create Junk E-mail Filter lists

  • Configure the Junk E-mail Filter

  • Configure automatic picture download

Overview

Microsoft Outlook 2010 provides features that can help users avoid receiving and reading junk e-mail messages that include the Junk E-mail Filter and the ability to disable automatic content download from external servers.

Junk e-mail filtering in Outlook 2010 includes Junk E-mail Filter lists and technology built into the software that helps determine whether an e-mail message should be treated as junk e-mail. You can create the following initial Junk E-mail Filter lists to deploy to users: lists for Safe Senders, Safe Recipients, and Blocked Senders.

The lists that you provide are default lists. If you deploy the lists by using Group Policy, users can change the lists during their Outlook session. When users restart Outlook, Group Policy will append the list by default or, if you have enabled Overwrite or Append Junk Mail Import List, their changes will be overwritten with the original list that you deployed. If you deploy the lists by using the OCT, users can customize and keep their customized lists as they use Outlook, to fine-tune the filters to work best for their messaging needs.

You can use Group Policy or the Office Customization Tool (OCT) to customize settings for the Junk E-mail Filter, and to disable automatic content download to meet the needs of your organization. For example, you can configure the Junk E-mail Filter to be more aggressive. However, that might also catch more legitimate messages. Rules that are not part of the junk e-mail management built into the software are not affected.

Before you begin

Review Plan for limiting junk e-mail in Outlook 2010 to determine what settings to configure for the Junk E-mail Filter and automatic content download.

For information about how to download the Outlook 2010 administrative template, and about other Office 2010 templates, see Office 2010 Administrative Template files (ADM, ADMX, ADML) and Office Customization Tool. For more information about Group Policy, see Group Policy overview for Office 2010 and Use Group Policy to enforce Office 2010 settings.

For more information about the OCT, see Office Customization Tool in Office 2010.

Create and deploy Junk E-mail Filter lists

To deploy Junk E-mail Filter lists, first create the lists on a test computer and then distribute the lists to users. You can distribute the lists by putting the lists on a network share. If you have remote users not connected to the domain, you can use the OCT to add the files by using the Add files option.

To create default Junk E-mail Filter lists

  1. Install Outlook 2010 on a test computer.

  2. Start Outlook 2010.

  3. In Outlook 2010, on the Home tab, in the Delete group, click Junk and Junk E-mail Options.

  4. On the Safe Senders tab, click Add.

  5. Enter an e-mail address or domain name. For example:

    someone@exchange.example.com

  6. Click OK.

  7. To add more e-mail addresses or domain names, repeat steps 3 through 6.

  8. Click Export to file.

  9. Enter a unique file name for the Safe Senders list, and then click OK.

  10. Repeat steps 3 through 9 with the Safe Recipients tab and the Blocked Senders tab to create Safe Recipients and Blocked Senders lists. Be sure to specify a unique file name for each of the three lists.

Deploy Junk E-mail Filter lists for users by using the Office Customization Tool

  1. Copy the three Junk E-mail Filter files that you created in the previous procedure to a network file share.

  2. If you have remote users not connected to the domain, follow these steps.

    1. In the OCT, click Add Files and then click Add.

    2. In the Add Files to dialog box, select the three Junk E-mail Filter files that you created in the previous procedure.

      Hold down the CONTROL or SHIFT key to select multiple files.

    3. Click Add.

    4. In the Destination path on the user's computer dialog box, enter the folder where you want to install the file on users' computers, and then click OK.

    5. Click OK again.

  3. On the Modify User Settings page, under Microsoft Outlook 2010\Outlook Options\Preferences, click Junk Mail.

  4. Double-click Junk Mail Import List, click Enabled and OK so that the setting is applied and Junk E-mail Filter lists are imported for users.

  5. To overwrite existing Junk E-mail Filter lists with new lists, double-click Overwrite or Append Junk Mail Import List, click Enabled and then click OK.

  6. To specify a path of each Junk E-mail Filter list, double-click the settings that correspond to each list (for example, Specify path to Safe Senders), click Enabled and enter a path and file name in the box (for example, in the Specify path to Safe Senders list).

  7. Click OK or click Next setting to specify the path for another Junk E-mail Filter list.

  8. Complete other Outlook 2010 or Office 2010 configurations, and on the File menu, click Save to create the customization file that you can deploy to users.

You can later change an existing Outlook 2010 installation to update the Junk E-mail Filter lists by following the procedure and including more recent Junk E-mail Filter files.

For more information about how to use the Office Customization Tool for configuring an Office installation to deploy files, see Office Customization Tool in Office 2010.

Configure the Junk E-mail Filter

You can lock down the settings to customize Junk E-mail Filter options by using the Outlook 2010 Group Policy template (Outlk14.adm). Or you can configure default settings by using the OCT. If this is the case, users can change the settings. The OCT settings are in corresponding locations on the Modify user settings page of the OCT.

If you decide to configure Junk E-mail Filter settings in the OCT, see the procedure To configure Outlook Junk E-mail Filter settings in the Office Customization Tool later in this article for an additional setting that must be configured.

Use the following procedure to configure Junk E-mail Filter options in Outlook. For the Junk E-mail Filter options that you can configure, see Plan for limiting junk e-mail in Outlook 2010.

To configure Outlook Junk E-mail Filter settings in Group Policy

  1. In Group Policy, load the Outlook 2010 template (Outlk14.adm) and open User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Microsoft Outlook 2010\Outlook Options\Preferences\Junk E-mail.

  2. Double-click the option that you want to configure. For example, double-click Junk E-mail protection level.

  3. Click Enabled.

  4. If appropriate, select a radio button for the option that you want to set, or select an option from a drop-down list.

  5. Click OK.

  6. To activate the Junk E-mail settings, you must set the Junk E-Mail Import list setting. You can do this by using the OCT.

    1. In the OCT, on the Modify user settings page, under Microsoft Outlook 2010\Outlook Options\Preferences\Junk E-mail, double-click Junk Mail Import list.

    2. Click Enabled.

    3. Click OK.

    4. Complete other Outlook 2010 or Microsoft Office 2010 configurations in the OCT, and on the File menu, click Save to create the customization file that you can deploy to users.

To configure Outlook Junk E-mail Filter settings in the Office Customization Tool

  1. In the OCT, on the Modify user settings page, under Microsoft Outlook 2010\Outlook Options\Preferences\Junk E-mail, double-click Junk Mail Import list.

  2. Click Enabled.

  3. Click OK.

  4. Double-click and set any other Junk E-mail options that you want to configure.

  5. Complete other Outlook 2010 or Microsoft Office 2010 configurations, and on the File menu, click Save to create the customization file that you can deploy to users.

Configure automatic picture download

To help protect users' privacy and to combat Web beacons—functionality embedded within items to detect when recipients have viewed an item—Outlook 2010 is configured by default to not automatically download pictures or other content from external servers on the Internet.

You can lock down the settings to customize automatic picture download by using the Outlook 2010 Group Policy template (Outlk14.adm). Or you can configure default settings by using the OCT. If this is the case, users can change the settings. The OCT settings are in corresponding locations on the Modify user settings page of the OCT.

To configure options for automatic picture download behavior in Outlook by using Group Policy

  1. In Group Policy, load the Outlook 2010 template (Outlk14.adm).

  2. Under User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Microsoft Outlook 2010\Security, click Automatic Picture Download Settings.

  3. Double-click the option that you want to configure. For example, double-click Do not permit download of content from safe zones.

  4. Click Enabled.

  5. If appropriate, select a radio button for the option that you want to set, or select an option from a drop-down list.

  6. Click OK.

To configure options for automatic picture download behavior in Outlook by using the Office Customization Tool

  1. In the OCT, on the Modify user settings page, under Microsoft Outlook 2010\Security\Automatic Picture Download Settings, double-click the option that you want to configure. For example, double-click Include Intranet in Safe Zones for Automatic Picture Download.

  2. Select a radio button for the option that you want to set.

  3. Click OK.

  4. Complete other Outlook 2010 or Office 2010 configurations, and on the File menu, click Save to create the customization file that you can deploy to users.