Skip to main content

PSA: Outlook spam filters aren’t working for many; may want to silence notifications

If you use Microsoft Outlook, and your inbox is full of junk this morning, it’s not just you: Many users are reporting that Outlook spam filters aren’t working …

Whether you’re accessing Microsoft Outlook on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad, you may have woken up to a high volume of spam in your inbox. The Verge reports that there appears to have been an issue with the spam filter for some weeks now, but many are today reporting what seems to be a total failure.

Microsoft’s Outlook spam filters appear to be broken for many users today. I woke up to more than 20 junk messages in my Focused Inbox in Outlook this morning, and spam emails have kept breaking through on an hourly basis today. Many Outlook users in Europe have also spotted the same thing, with some heading to Twitter to complain.

Most of the messages that are making it into Outlook users’ inboxes are very clearly spam. Today’s issues are particularly bad, after weeks of the Outlook spam filter progressively deteriorating for me personally.

In addition to normal spam filtering, Outlook offers a Focused Inbox feature, which is designed to try to identify important email – such as that from known contacts – and place it into a Focused tab, while other new mail is found in the Other tab. Neither standard spam-tracking nor the Focused feature appear to be working for a significant number of users.

If you’re experiencing this, you may want to disable Outlook mail notifications for now, to avoid being alerted each time a new piece of spam arrives.

Microsoft had not responded to The Verge‘s request for comment at the time of writing.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

Author

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


Ben Lovejoy's favorite gear