Email – Manage Your Spam

What is Clutter? How does it relate to Exchange Online Protection?

Microsoft employs an email sorting algorithm for messages that are delivered to your inbox. This algorithm is designed to look for mass mailings that don't quite qualify as spam but may still clog up your inbox with unwanted messages. Examples of Clutter-labeled mail would be newsletter or promotional messages from a company or organization that you have dealt with in the past. The email is not necessarily wanted, but it is not being sent completely at random like spam. These messages are still delivered to your inbox, but are moved to a Clutter folder. You should periodically check your Clutter folder for the same reasons you check your quarantined spam messages as it may contain messages that you are actually interested in reading. Office 365 will send a reminder email periodically to remind you if there are messages in your Clutter folder. More information on how to manage the Clutter folder is available on the Microsoft support page Use Clutter to sort low-priority messages in Outlook>

Why are fewer messages being quarantined in the new spam filter?

Microsoft actively blocks known spam sites. Spam messages are automatically stopped even before they get to Pitt.

Why don't I see virus-laden messages?

Exchange Online Protection stops most messages containing virus payloads before they get to Pitt mailboxes. There is no point collecting and displaying them in a quarantine folder since they should never be delivered.

Can I read mail messages that have been quarantined?

Yes. Your Spam and Virus Message Center enables you to preview the contents of a quarantined message to help determine whether it is spam or a legitimate message. Follow the instructions above to access the list of quarantined messages in the Office 365 environment by clicking on the Spam and Virus Filtering link on My Pitt. Message content will be displayed in the right section of the window when you click on a message listing.

Can I release more than one message at a time?

Yes. Hold down the CTRL key and click each message you want to release. Then click the Release Message (envelope) icon to release the messages.

How do I delete the spam messages that have been quarantined?

You cannot delete these messages. They will remain in quarantine for 15 days and then expire.

Are spam messages deleted from my Message Center after I release them and report them as not junk?

No. Spam messages will remain in quarantine for 15 days, even after you release them. They will then expire automatically and be removed from your Message Center.

Can I re-release a message from the spam filter?

No, once a message has been released from the spam filter, it's delivered to your email inbox. It cannot be released again. You will receive an error message if you try to do so.

How long will quarantined messages remain in my Message Center?

Quarantined email messages will remain in your Message Center for 15 days, unless you choose to release them earlier.

I forward my University email to another address. If I release a quarantined message, will it also be sent to my forwarding address?

Yes.

How long will quarantined messages remain in my Message Center?

Quarantined email messages will remain in your Message Center for 15 days, unless you choose to release them earlier.

I forward my University email to another address. Will the weekly spam summary be sent to my forwarding address?

Yes.

I don't want to receive a weekly email summary of spam. Can I turn it off?

No. It is not possible to turn off the summary email for individual students, faculty, or staff. However, you may create a rule in Outlook that automatically sends these messages to your Deleted Items folder (or another location). For details, refer to our help sheet Creating Rules in Outlook.

Can I customize how strict or lenient my spam filtering settings are?

General spam filtering settings cannot be customized. If you receive a spam message that should have been quarantined, you can report it to Microsoft.

However, you can customize your bulk mail filtering settings. Bulk mail is a unique category of email that some people consider to be spam and others do not. Many organizations use bulk mail services to send advertisements or deliver newsletters. You can choose how aggressively you want the University’s spam filtering service to filter your email for bulk mail:

1. Log in to Accounts Self Service via My Pitt (my.pitt.edu).
2. Click  the Email & Messaging tab, and choose Set email Preferences.
3. Click the Filtering tab and choose the level of filtering you wish to apply.
4. Click the Save Email Filtering.

How do I report a spam messages that did not get quarantined (i.e., a false negative)?

There are several ways to do this. If you logged in to your Pitt Email (Outlook) through My Pitt, you can report spam by first simply right-clicking the message you want to report. Select Mark as Junk and then click Report. You can also send the email to junk@office365.microsoft.com To do this, create a new, blank message and attach the spam message to it. Paste the original subject from the spam message into your Subject line and leave the message body blank. For more details on reporting spam, refer to Microsoft's website.

Why are fewer messages being quarantined in the new spam filter?

Microsoft actively blocks known spam sites. Spam messages are automatically stopped even before they get to Pitt.

How do I manage my spam filter settings from a webmail account?

Use Outlook Web Access to manage your filter settings.

Can I read mail messages that have been quarantined?

Yes. Your Spam and Virus Message Center enables you to preview the contents of a quarantined message to help determine whether it is spam or a legitimate message. Just click the Preview email message… link in the right-hand column.

Can I release more than one message at a time?

Yes. Hold down the CTRL key and click each message you want to release. Then click the Release Message (envelope) icon to release the messages.

How do I delete the spam messages that have been quarantined?

You cannot delete these messages. They will remain in quarantine for 15 days and then expire.

Are spam messages deleted from my Message Center after I release them and report them as not junk?

No. Spam messages will remain in quarantine for 15 days, even after you release them. They will then expire automatically and be removed from your Message Center.

Can I re-release a message from the spam filter?

No, once a message has been released from the spam filter, it's delivered to your email inbox. It cannot be released again. You will receive an error message if you try to do so.

How long will quarantined messages remain in my Message Center?

Quarantined email messages will remain in your Message Center for 15 days, unless you choose to release them earlier.

I forward my University email to another address. If I release a quarantined message, will it also be sent to my forwarding address?

Yes.

How long will quarantined messages remain in my Message Center?

Quarantined email messages will remain in your Message Center for 15 days, unless you choose to release them earlier.

I forward my University email to another address. Will the weekly spam summary be sent to my forwarding address?

Yes.

I don't want to receive a weekly email summary of spam. Can I turn it off?

No. It is not possible to turn off the summary email for individual students, faculty, or staff. However, you may create a rule in Outlook that automatically sends these messages to your Deleted Items folder (or another location). For details, refer to our help sheet Creating Rules in Outlook.

Can I customize how strict or lenient my spam filtering settings are?

General spam filtering settings cannot be customized. If you receive a spam message that should have been quarantined, you can report it to Microsoft.

However, you can customize your bulk mail filtering settings. Bulk mail is a unique category of email that some people consider to be spam and others do not. Many organizations use bulk mail services to send advertisements or deliver newsletters. You can choose how aggressively you want the University’s spam filtering service to filter your email for bulk mail:

1. Log in to Accounts Self Service via My Pitt (my.pitt.edu).
2. Click  the Email & Messaging tab, and choose Set email Preferences.
3. Click the Filtering tab and choose the level of filtering you wish to apply.
4. Click the Save Email Filtering.

How do I report a spam messages that did not get quarantined (i.e., a false negative)?

There are several ways to do this. If you logged in to your Pitt Email (Outlook) through My Pitt, you can report spam by simply right-clicking the message you want to report. Select Mark as Junk and then click Report. You can also send the email to junk@office365.microsoft.com To do this, create a new, blank message and attach the spam message to it. Paste the original subject from the spam message into your Subject line and leave the message body blank. For more details on reporting spam, refer to Microsoft's website.