Junk Mail

The move to Microsoft Exchange for Email means that we are now using Microsoft's anti-spam filter instead of Google's filter.  You may find that spam sorting is different from the one to which you grew accustomed.

Junk Mail Folder

First, Google had a folder called "spam."  Outlook calls the folder "junk mail." In each case, our provider attempts to discern what mail is unwanted and what mail you want to see.  At the post office level, we have the ability to set how aggressive we want Microsoft to be in filtering out spam.  We have the setting default to "low" meaning you are likely to see some spam in your inbox, but less likely to get a valid email incorrectly sent to your junk mail folder.  Even so, you may want to check your junk email folder from time to time to make sure you do not miss anything important.

Just like Google did with its spam folder, Microsoft holds junk mail in that folder for 30 days, then deletes it.  So you do not need to worry about manually deleting the messages there.  You should, however, check it regularly to make sure something important does not disappear.

Junk in Inbox

Inevitably, some mail that arrives in your inbox is going to be junk.  When you get such a message, rather than simply deleting it, mark it as "junk".  This helps Microsoft determine what is junk and what is not.  You have the option in Outlook to block a sender or an entire domain.  You can also opt never to block a certain sender, assuring such messages will always arrive in your inbox.

Focused Mail

Beyond messages sent to junk mail, Outlook attempts to discern between important and unimportant mail that goes to your inbox.  It calls important mail "focused" and less important mail "other".   You should see a tab for each category at the top of your inbox.  "Other" mail does not quite meet the classifications for "junk" status, but that Microsoft's AI considers less important or uninteresting for you.

Depending on how you are viewing your mail (via Outlook, Outlook Online, or the Outlook App on your phone or tablet), you may find these two groups mixed together.  On each of your devices you have the ability to turn on or off focused view.  If off, everything simply shows up in your inbox.  If on, less important mail fails in the "other" tab and you are not given an alert when it arrives.  You can make different choices on different devices.