About the Junk Mail Filter

Junk mail, also called spam, is mail that is sent to many people or groups, regardless of whether the recipients want to receive it. If you sometimes receive junk mail, use the Junk Mail Filter to automatically identify and manage such messages. The Junk Mail Filter uses known criteria to classify messages you receive as junk mail. For example, if you receive a message that includes signs of a forged e-mail address in the From box, the Junk Mail Filter classifies the message as junk.

You can specify actions to perform on potential junk mail, from applying a color to such messages, to running an AppleScript. If you want to apply further actions to junk messages that you receive, such as filing the messages in a certain folder, you can create a rule for that action.

The Junk Mail Filter never classifies messages from contacts in your Address Book as junk mail. To ensure that messages from a particular person are never mistakenly classified as junk mail, simply add the person to your Address Book.

Applying the Junk Mail Filter

Enabling or disabling the Junk Mail Filter

About rules

Apply the Junk Mail Filter

On the Tools menu, click Junk Mail Filter.
Select the Enable Junk Mail Filter check box.
Under Sensitivity, do one of the following:
- To classify more messages as junk, drag the Sensitivity slider to the right.
- To classify fewer messages as junk, drag the Sensitivity slider to the left.
To exempt messages from a specific domain from the Junk Mail Filter, type the domain name under Do not apply to messages from these domains.
Under Perform additional actions on junk mail, select any other options you want.

Enabling or disabling the Junk Mail Filter

Enable or disable the Junk Mail Filter

On the Tools menu, click Junk Mail Filter.
Select or clear the Enable Junk Mail Filter check box.

Applying the Junk Mail Filter