How to Enable Phishing Email Protection in Outlook

Protect yourself against sneaky spam

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Updated on December 18, 2020

What to Know

Go to the Outlook Home tab, then select Junk > Junk E-mail Options. Choose the protection level and options you want.
Next, select Warn me about suspicious domain names in email addresses for extra protection against phishing messages.
To report a phishing email, select it and go to Home > Junk > Report as Phishing.

This article explains how to turn on Microsoft Outlook's built-in phishing protection, which disables links in identified phishing attempts. Instructions cover Outlook 2019, Outlook 2016, Outlook 2013, Outlook 2010, and Outlook for Microsoft 365.

Enable Phishing Email Protection in Outlook

Changing the level of protection helps you reduce your risk of falling for a phishing email.

Go to the Home tab and, in the Delete group, select Junk.
Select Junk E-mail Options.
Select Low if you want to filter obvious junk email messages.
Select High to filter out the greatest amount of junk emails.

A High level of junk email protection may move some safe messages to the Junk Email folder.
Select Safe Lists Only if you want messages from contacts in your Safe Senders or Safe Recipients lists to go to the Inbox. All other messages are filtered to the Junk Email folder.
Select Permanently delete suspected junk email instead of moving it to the Junk Email folder if you want suspected junk mail to bypass the Junk Email folder and be permanently deleted.

With this option, emails that are mistaken for junk are also deleted permanently and you won't be able to review them.
Select Warn me about suspicious domain names in email addresses for extra protection against phishing messages.
Select OK when you're finished.

Keep the Outlook spam filter up to date using Microsoft or Office Update.

Report Phishing Messages

You can report suspicious messages to Microsoft to help improve spam filters.

Select the suspicious message.
Go to the Home tab and select Junk.
Select Report as Phishing if you suspect the message is a phishing email or select Report as Junk if you think the email is regular spam.

What If Report Phishing Is Missing?

If the Report Junk or Report Phishing option is missing from the Junk menu, enable the add-in.

Go to the File tab.
Select Options.
In the Outlook Options dialog box, select the Add-ins tab.
In the Inactive Applications list, select Microsoft Junk Email Reporting Add-in.
Select the Manage dropdown arrow, choose Com Add-ins, then select Go.
Select the Microsoft Junk Email Reporting Add-in checkbox.
Select OK to enable the add-in and restore the Report Junk options. Restart Outlook if prompted.

If the Microsoft Junk Email Reporting Add-in is not listed, download it from Microsoft.

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