What is a Junk Mail Folder? Spam Folder Explained

Definition

💡 Junk mail folder: The designated location in your email client where unwanted or suspicious messages get automatically filtered. Also known as a spam folder, it's where your email client sends messages that are automatically filtered to help keep your inbox clutter-free. Different email providers call it different things—Gmail says "Spam," Outlook says "Junk Email," Apple Mail says "Junk", but essentially they all mean the same thing.
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Why the junk folder matters

The spam folder is the dedicated storage space provided by your email to segregate unwanted emails, ensuring that users are not inundated with unwanted messages.

Without it, your inbox would be chaos.

Also known as the email junk folder, this is the place where your email provider automatically files messages that seem suspicious, reducing the risk of phishing scams and unwanted spam emails landing in your inbox.

Promotional emails from companies you've never heard of, phishing attempts pretending to be your bank, mass-mailed advertisements. All of this type of content gets caught and quarantined.

But the system isn't perfect. While this filtering system is essential for keeping your inbox clean, it's not perfect, and sometimes important emails can end up in the spam/junk email folder by mistake.

That's why you should check it periodically. Order confirmations, meeting invites, and emails from new contacts can all end up flagged as junk.

How spam filtering works

Your email provider uses algorithms to decide what's junk and what isn't.

Your email client uses various filtering algorithms and rules to determine if a message is junk mail, considering factors like the sender's reputation, specific keywords in the subject or body, and whether the email is part of a mass mailing. If the email triggers enough red flags, it goes straight to junk.

Multiple factors can cause emails to go to the junk folder, including email content that triggers spam filters, blocklisted sender email addresses, and spam complaints from you. Certain words and phrases are spam triggers.

ALL CAPS SUBJECT LINES.
Excessive exclamation marks!!!
Messages from IP addresses that have been reported for spam in the past.

All of this gets factored in.

Additionally, when you move an email to the junk folder, you not only make your inbox neater but also train the spam filter to recognize similar messages as junk in the future. The more you mark certain senders as spam, the smarter your filter gets.

Finding your junk folder

The location varies by email provider, but it's always in a similar spot.

In Gmail: Click on "Spam" along the left-hand side. You may need to click "More" first to expand the full folder list.

In Outlook: In the left-hand menu, scroll down to find the Junk Email folder. It's usually near the bottom of your folder list, below Inbox and Sent.

On iPhone (Apple Mail): Navigate to the Mailboxes view by backing out of the Inbox or any mail folders you are viewing, and in the Mailboxes view, you see the Junk folder below the Drafts and Sent folders.

In Spark: The junk folder appears in your folder list alongside Inbox, Sent, and Drafts. Spark will always show “Spam” folder.

Managing your junk folder

It's a good idea to regularly review messages in the Junk Email folder to check for legitimate messages that were incorrectly classified as junk.

If you find a legitimate email in junk: Right-click it and select Move to Inbox to restore it. You can also mark it as "Not Spam" or "Not Junk," which trains the filter not to flag similar messages in the future.

If spam makes it to your inbox: Select the message, select Report Message, and if the message is Spam/Junk or Phishing, select those options. Most email clients let you report spam directly to the provider, which helps improve their filters for everyone. In Spark in particular you can also use Gatekeeper to accept or block new senders.

To block a sender permanently: You can usually block specific senders by adding their email address to a blocked senders list within your email client, ensuring that all future emails from that sender are sent directly to your junk mail folder.

Email that is detected to contain malware or high-confidence phishing scams will be discarded, while all other emails judged to be spam will be sent to the junk folder. The truly dangerous stuff gets deleted entirely. Everything else sits in junk until you delete it or it auto-deletes after a set period.

More things to know about your junk folder

How often should I check my junk folder?

Check your junk folder weekly and set a reminder. Five minutes once a week can prevent you from missing important emails that were misclassified as spam.

How can I improve my spam filter's accuracy?

Train your filter by marking spam as spam and legitimate emails as "Not Spam." The more consistently you do this, the better your email client's filtering system becomes at recognizing what belongs in your inbox versus your junk folder.

What's the best way to ensure emails from important senders don't get filtered?

Use allowlists (also called Safe Senders Lists) for important contacts. Depending on your email setup, addresses and domains on this list are never treated as junk email regardless of message content. Add your contacts, colleagues, and any sender you always want to hear from.

What should I do if I receive suspicious emails in my junk folder?

Don't open anything that looks like phishing—just delete it. If you receive a phishing email in your junk folder, report it using your email client's "Report Phishing" option to help protect yourself and others from potential scams.

Should I set up automatic deletion for my junk folder?

Yes. Most email clients allow you to automatically delete emails from your junk folder after a specified time, which keeps the folder manageable and saves storage space. Thirty days is a reasonable window.

How can I reduce the amount of spam I receive in the first place?

Be cautious when sharing your email address online. Use a disposable or secondary email address for signing up for newsletters, promotions, or online services. Less spam reaching your inbox means less to filter and manage.

Related terms

The Readdle Team

Junk mail folder

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