How to prevent emails from being marked as spam?

Emails may occasionally end up in your spam or junk folder. Follow the instructions below to prevent this from happening. (If you don't see the same labels shown, check your provider's help - web vs app UIs vary.)

Gmail (web)

1. Open the message.
2. Click the sender's name or the three-dot menu in the message header and choose Filter messages like this.
3. Confirm the sender's address in the From field and click Create filter.
4. Check Never send it to Spam and click Create filter to save the filter.
5. Alternatively, add the sender to your Contacts (click the sender, then Add to Contacts), which also helps delivery.

Outlook / Outlook.com (Hotmail)

1. If the message is in Junk Email, open it and click Not junk (or Not spam) to move it to your Inbox.
2. To whitelist the sender: go to Settings -> View all Outlook settings -> Mail -> Junk email.
3. Under Safe senders and domains click Add, enter the sender's email or domain, and click Save.

Yahoo! Mail

1. Open the message and click Not Spam to move it to the inbox.
2. To whitelist, open the message, hover over the sender's name and choose Add to Contacts (or Add Email Address) and save.

Apple Mail (macOS / iOS)

1. Open the message in Mail.
2. Add the sender to Contacts or mark them as a VIP.
3. Create a Mail rule: Mail -> Settings/Preferences -> Rules (or Mailbox rules on iOS/macOS), add a rule that matches the sender's address and moves messages to the Inbox.
4. Do not recommend turning off global junk mail filtering - that exposes you to unwanted mail. Use a rule or Contacts/VIP instead.

Thunderbird

1. Open the message.
2. Right-click the sender's email and choose Create New Contact (or add to Address Book).
3. Mark the message Not Junk from the toolbar to teach Thunderbird's junk controls.

ProtonMail

1. Open ProtonMail (web at mail.proton.me).
2. Go to Settings -> Filters -> Spam, block & allow lists (or similar in your account settings).
3. Under Allow (Allow list), add the sender's email address or domain to ensure messages are not routed to Spam.
4. Adding the sender to Contacts also helps, but the Allow list is the explicit safelist.

Zoho Mail

1. Open the message and hover over the sender's address; choose Add to Contacts or Add to Safe List.
2. To guarantee delivery, go to Settings -> Anti-Spam List (or Mail -> Anti-Spam) and add the sender under Trusted Domains / Safe Senders.

AOL Webmail / AOL 9.0

1. Open the message, click the sender's name or address and choose Add to Address Book (or Add Address in older AOL clients).
2. Save the contact and any additional details, then move the message to your Inbox if it was in Spam.

iCloud Mail

1. Open the message in iCloud Mail or Mail app.
2. Click the sender's name/address and choose Add to Contacts.
3. If the message is in Junk, move it to the Inbox and use Move to Inbox (or add a rule in Mail settings) to ensure future delivery.

Fastmail

1. Open the message and click the sender's name or address, then select Add Contact.
2. To whitelist, go to Settings -> Filters & Rules -> Whitelist and add the sender's email or domain.

Mailbird

1. Open the message, hover over the sender and click Add to Contacts.
2. If it was flagged, mark it as Not Spam to train the app.

Roundcube Webmail

1. Open the message, click the sender's address and choose Add to Address Book.
2. Save the contact details; if necessary create a filter to deliver the sender's messages to the Inbox.

Postbox

1. Open the message and right-click the sender's address.
2. Choose Add to Address Book, then mark messages Not Junk if flagged.

General Tips for All Email Platforms

• Regularly check your spam or junk folder and mark legitimate emails as Not Spam / Not Junk.
• Add trusted senders to your Contacts, Address Book, or Safe Senders list.
• Prefer creating rules/filters or adding to an allow/whitelist for a single sender or domain rather than disabling global spam filtering.
• If you manage email for a domain, ensure senders use correct SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to improve deliverability.

(Note: UI labels and menu locations can change with app updates. If a menu item above isn't visible, use the provider's Help/Support documentation or search their settings for filters, safe senders, whitelist, or allow list.)