8.16 How should I configure the junk filter on my mail server?
SpamSieve is compatible with junk/spam filters that run on the mail server, however we recommend that most users turn them off because:
- In most cases, SpamSieve will catch the same spam messages (and more), so the server spam filter is not providing much benefit. (Exception: If your Mac and SpamSieve will often be off or disconnected from the Internet, the server spam filter can help keep spam off your iPhone during that time.)
- Server spam filters are more likely to mistakenly classify your good messages as spam. Because the server filters the messages before they get to your Mac, SpamSieve cannot “save” you from these mistakes. In some cases, these good messages may be deleted sight-unseen or “lost,” only visible when you log into a special spam quarantine mailbox via a Web browser.
- Server spam filters often move suspected spam messages to a special mailbox, which is separate from your other accounts and from SpamSieve’s Spam mailbox. Most users find it simplest to review a single spam mailbox for all their accounts.
Turning Off Your Server-Side Spam Filter
- AOL
- Follow the instructions on this page.
- Gmail
Go to Gmail’s Filters settings. Create a new filter where the From matches @ and tell Gmail to Never send it to Spam:
- iCloud/MobileMe
- It is not possible to turn off iCloud’s junk filter. Thus, be sure to check the account’s Junk mailbox to make sure that there are no good messages stuck there.
- Yahoo Mail
Click on the gear menu, then Mail Options, then Filters. Create a filter that matches @ in the sender and delivers the messages to Inbox:
- SpamAssassin
- Many mail hosts offer SpamAssassin or a similar filter. Make sure the filter is set not to add **Junk** or another tag to the message’s subject. Also, try to configure the filter not to move the messages out of the inbox. It is actually good if you can leave the filter on, but set so that it only tags the message’s headers (e.g. by adding X-Spam-Status and X-Spam-Report headers). This will allow SpamSieve to incorporate the work that the server filter has done into its analysis.
E-mail Hosting
E-mail is important. If your mail provider does not offer full control over the way it is filtering your messages, we recommend switching to one that does. The best solution is to get your own domain name; this allows you to change your mail provider without having to change your e-mail address. DreamHost and Pair are some inexpensive hosts that we’ve used and recommend. Other popular ones are 1&1, FastMail, GoDaddy.
Bulk Mail and Quarantine
Some mail providers have a mailbox called Bulk Mail or a special Web site to view messages that are “quarantined.” If possible, we recommend turning off these features for the same reasons described above. Regardless, there are two important points to keep in mind:
- The server puts the messages in the bulk mailbox before SpamSieve sees them. Thus, there is no setting you can change in SpamSieve to prevent this from happening.
- Since these messages are invisible to SpamSieve, it is not necessary or recommended that you train it with them.