Change Junk Mail preferences in Mail on Mac

Enable junk mail filtering

Turn Mail’s junk mail filter on or off.

If your email account filters junk mail on the mail server, messages might be moved to the Junk mailbox even when this option isn’t selected.

Mark as junk mail, but leave it in my Inbox

Highlight junk mail with color and leave it in your Inbox.

These messages contain a banner across the top with a button to confirm whether the message is junk. This setting is useful for monitoring what Mail considers junk mail.

Move it to the Junk mailbox

Mail automatically moves messages that it considers junk to the Junk mailbox.

This setting is useful when you’re confident that Mail correctly identifies junk mail and you don’t want those messages in your inbox.

Perform custom actions

Refine the junk mail filter by adding conditions to identify junk mail, and actions such as deleting those messages.

When you select this option, you can set advanced criteria to identify junk mail.

The following types of messages are exempt from junk mail filtering

Don’t filter messages from senders who are in the Contacts app, you’ve previously corresponded with, or know your full name.

Trust junk mail headers in messages

Use any junk mail detection already present in messages you receive. Mail uses this information to more accurately identify junk mail.

Filter junk mail before applying my rules

Mail runs the junk mail filter before it runs any rules that you created.

This option ensures that all messages, even those that your rules might move out of the Inbox, are evaluated by the junk filter.

Reset

Restore the default criteria for identifying junk mail.

Use this option only if Mail no longer handles junk mail as you expect. Resetting the filter deletes everything that Mail has learned from you about junk mail.

Advanced

Set criteria that messages must meet to be identified as junk mail. This option is available only when you select “Perform custom actions.”

Enable blocked mail filtering

Block email messages from specific senders and control what happens to the messages when they arrive.

Mark as blocked mail, but leave it in my Inbox

Indicate a sender is blocked but leave their messages in your Inbox.

These messages contain a banner across the top with a button to display the Blocked pane in Mail preferences, where you can manage blocked senders.

Move it to the Trash

Automatically move messages from blocked senders to the Trash mailbox, so you don’t see their messages in your Inbox.

Email address list

The list of email addresses whose messages you’re blocking.

Add , Remove

Add an email address to the list of blocked senders, or remove one.

You can also add an email address to the list or remove it by clicking the arrow next to the sender’s name in a message, then choosing Block Contact or Unblock Contact.