Mac Mail 2.0 - E-mail Client for Macintosh OS X 

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  Filtering Junk Mail:

Mail automatically tests each message you download against a series of rules.  If Mail labels an e-mail message as spam, Mail sends the message to the Junk mailbox.  If Mail labels a message as a legitimate message, the message is sent to the Inbox.  Since this detection is done automatically, Mail will, at times, label as spam some messages you want and send them to the Junk mailbox.  Conversely, at times, Mail will not label some spam as spam and send those messages to your Inbox.  The following screenshots explain how to use Mail's junk mail filters.

If a junk message arrives in your Inbox, all you need to do is right click the message and select Junk from the menu.  Mail will send the message to the Junk mailbox.  Mail will also learn from this, so the next time an e-mail comes matching the criteria of this e-mail, Mail will label it as junk and send it to the Junk mailbox.

Important:  Since it is possible for Mail to label legitimate e-mail as junk, you should look through the Junk mailbox for valid messages.  Right click on a valid message and select Not Junk from the menu.  Mail will then move the message to your Inbox and learn from your actions.  The next time you receive an e-mail from that person or business, Mail will send it to your Inbox.  In time, Mail will become very efficient at labeling spam and getting it out of your way.

To configure Mail's Junk e-mail filtering capability, do the following:

On the Toolbar, click Mail and select Preferences from the menu.

 

Highlight the Junk Mail icon.

Check the box Enable junk mail filtering.

When junk mail arrives:

Select the option that suits you best.  If you're not sure you trust Mail's anti-spam capability, select Leave it in my Inbox, but indicate it as junk mail (Training).  If you select the second option, Move it to the Junk mailbox (Automatic), you'll still be able to verify if the messages are junk.  The last option, Perform custom actions (Click Advanced to configure), allows you to tweak the filters.

The following types of messages are exempt from junk mail filtering:

The next three options are enabled by default; however, you can disable them to suit your tastes.

Many ISPs place a header in e-mails known to come from junk mail servers.  When you enable Trust junk mail headers set by my Internet Service Provider, Mail will move messages labeled by your ISP as junk to the Junk mailbox.

 

When a junk message arrives and Mail doesn't label it as junk, simply highlight the message and click the Junk button.  Mail will then move it to the Junk mailbox and remember your action the next time a similar message arrives.

 

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