Why are my emails going to spam instead of the inbox?
Your emails usually go to spam for one of three reasons: the receiving server can't confirm the mail is really from you, your domain or sending service has a poor reputation, or that particular recipient has told their inbox they don't want it. The quickest way to find out which is to ask someone whose copy landed in spam what the warning says.
Gmail puts that warning at the top of each message in Spam, explaining why it was sent there, according to Gmail's spam help page. Ask a friend, colleague or customer to open your message in their Spam folder and read you the banner. Here is what each warning means for you as the sender:
| Warning Gmail shows | What Gmail's page says it means | What to do as the sender |
|---|---|---|
| Messages from an unconfirmed sender | Gmail can't confirm who sent the email | Fix authentication first: fixes 2 to 5 below |
| You tried to unsubscribe from this sender | Mail sent after someone unsubscribes goes straight to Spam | Remove them from that list, and check your unsubscribe link works |
| Emails you sent to Spam | The recipient reported you, so future mail may go to Spam too | Stop mailing them unless they ask; check what else you send to people like them |
| Administrator-set policies | The recipient's work, school or organisation admin set a rule | Ask the recipient to contact their IT admin; you can't fix this from your side |
| Messages content is empty | Blank emails are a pattern spammers use to test addresses | Put real text in the subject and body of every send to your list; Google's guidelines mention a blank test message only as a way to diagnose bounces |
| Spoofed email addresses, or Phishing scams | The address looks like a known sender's, or the email may be a trick to get you to share personal information | Check nobody is sending as your domain; set up DMARC reports (fix 4) |
One more case Gmail's page describes: if a recipient blocked you, your mail keeps going to their Spam even after they move a message out of it.
Which fix do you need? Match the symptom
No banner to go on? Match what you see to the likely cause. This is our reading of Google's, Yahoo's and Microsoft's sender pages; fix numbers refer to the next section.
| What you notice | Most likely cause | Fixes |
|---|---|---|
| Mail from one tool (newsletter, invoicing app, website form) goes to spam, normal mail doesn't | That tool isn't in your SPF record or doesn't sign with DKIM for your domain | 2, 3 |
| Only forwarded mail lands in spam | Forwarding often breaks SPF, so DKIM has to carry it | 3 |
| Your newsletter's From address is an @gmail.com or @yahoo.com one | You can't authenticate a domain you don't own, and free-mail domains often publish DMARC policies telling receivers to reject failing mail | 5 |
| Spam started right after you changed DMARC to quarantine or reject | Some of your own legitimate mail is failing DMARC | 4 |
| One person always gets you in spam, others don't | They reported, blocked or unsubscribed, or their admin set a rule | 1 |
| Spam started after a big send to an old list | Complaints, bounces or a sudden volume jump | 7, 8, 10 |
| Only Outlook, Hotmail or Live addresses put you in Junk | Microsoft names junk complaint rate as a principal factor in lower reputation; high-volume rules may apply | 2 to 4, 8, plus Microsoft's tools in the requirements section |
How do I stop my emails going to spam? 10 fixes in order
1. Get the reason from a real copy
Ask a recipient for the Gmail banner text from the table above. If they use Gmail in a browser, they can also open the message, click More next to Reply, then Show original, and copy the full header for you, as Gmail's header help page describes. Fix what it names before changing anything else.
2. Put every sender in one SPF record
List every service that sends as your domain: your mailbox provider, newsletter tool, invoicing or CRM app, website contact form. Google's email sender guidelines say your SPF record should include all of them, and that mail from senders left out is more likely to be marked as spam. The SPF standard, RFC 7208, says a domain must not have multiple SPF records, so add each service to the same record. Our free SPF checker reads yours and flags duplicates and too many lookups.
3. Turn on DKIM in every tool, not just your inbox
Google's guidelines say to check that any email service provider you use authenticates your domain's mail with SPF and DKIM. Its forwarding guide says forwarded messages often fail SPF, which is why it recommends DKIM as well, and that messages failing DKIM are more likely to go to spam. Google also requires a DKIM key of at least 1024 bits for mail to personal Gmail accounts and recommends 2048.
4. Start DMARC at p=none, and read the reports
DMARC tells receivers what to do when SPF and DKIM fail. The original standard, RFC 7489, said a quarantine policy can mean placing failing mail in the spam folder; its May 2026 replacement, RFC 9989, says quarantine means the domain owner considers such mail suspicious. So a strict policy published before every tool passes can send your own invoices to spam. Publish p=none with a report address first, and tighten it only when the reports are clean. Our DMARC checker shows your current policy.
5. Move bulk mail off a free address
If your newsletter tool sends as [email protected] or @yahoo.com, you can't authenticate it. Mailchimp's help page says free-mail domains often publish policies telling receivers to reject mail that fails DMARC, and strongly recommends switching to an address on a domain you own. Google's guidelines separately tell senders not to impersonate Gmail From: headers. Use an address on your business domain.
6. Keep each kind of email separate
Google recommends the same From: address for each category (for example sales@ for receipts, deals@ for promotions) and says not to put promotions in receipt emails. Yahoo's sender best practices say not to send marketing mail from the IPs you use for user or transactional mail, because each IP and DKIM domain has its own reputation.
7. Make unsubscribing easy
Google requires one-click unsubscribe and a visible link for marketing mail from senders of 5,000 or more messages a day; Yahoo asks bulk senders to honour unsubscribes within 2 days. Even below those volumes, put a working link in every newsletter.
8. Clean the list
Google says not to buy addresses or mail people who didn't sign up. Yahoo says to remove invalid recipients promptly and watch hard and soft bounces. Microsoft's Outlook.com sender policies say that after a permanent failure (a 5xx error) you must not retry that message to that recipient. Remove addresses that fail permanently (a 5xx bounce) straight away, and watch for repeat soft bounces.
9. Check your links and domain
Google suggests checking that your domain, and any domain linked to yours, isn't listed as unsafe in Google Safe Browsing, and says links should be visible and easy to understand. Microsoft's troubleshooting page adds: use valid, reputable URLs and avoid IP addresses in links.
10. Raise volume slowly
Google warns that suddenly doubling your usual volume could cause rate limiting or reputation drops, and recommends sending at a consistent rate rather than in bursts. For a new domain, our guide on how long to warm up a domain compares ramp-up schedules. Raise in small steps and watch bounces.
If the problem is cold email specifically (people who never signed up), the causes and fixes differ; our cold email spam fix list covers that case.
What do Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook require from senders?
All three set rules for every sender and stricter ones for high volume. This is what each page said when we read it on 4 November 2026:
| Rule | Gmail (personal accounts) | Yahoo | Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every sender | SPF or DKIM, valid forward and reverse DNS, TLS, spam rate below 0.3% (Google advises below 0.1%) | SPF or DKIM, spam rate below 0.3%, valid forward and reverse DNS | SPF, DKIM and DMARC strongly recommended; valid reverse DNS required |
| High-volume threshold | Close to 5,000 messages a day to personal Gmail accounts | The page sets bulk rules but gives no volume figure | More than 5,000 emails a day |
| High-volume extras | SPF and DKIM, DMARC (p=none allowed), From: aligned, one-click unsubscribe | SPF and DKIM, DMARC at least p=none that passes, one-click unsubscribe, unsubscribes honoured within 2 days | SPF and DKIM pass, DMARC at least p=none aligned with SPF or DKIM |
| What happens if you miss them | Google says it has been ramping up enforcement since November 2025, with temporary and permanent rejections | Negative impact on delivery, per Yahoo | Junk folder since 5 May 2025; Microsoft says rejection with error 550 5.7.515 may follow |
| Free tool to watch reputation | Postmaster Tools | Complaint Feedback Loop | SNDS and the Junk Email Reporting Program |
The Gmail column comes from Google's guidelines and its sender guidelines FAQ, the Outlook column from Microsoft's April 2025 announcement and policy page. Two details from Google's FAQ matter for small businesses. Its rules apply to mail sent to personal Gmail accounts, not to Google Workspace accounts. And once you count as a bulk sender, you stay one: senders who reach the threshold once are permanently classed as bulk senders.
Google counts all mail from the same primary domain, subdomains included. A worked example with sample numbers: a shop's newsletter goes to 6,000 subscribers, of whom 3,500 have personal Gmail addresses. That's 3,500 to Gmail, under the line. On a launch day it also sends a promotion from news.northwind.example to 2,000 Gmail subscribers: 3,500 + 2,000 = 5,500 messages from one primary domain in a day, which passes 5,000. From then on the bulk rules apply for good, so set up DMARC and one-click unsubscribe before that day, not after.
For Outlook, Microsoft's troubleshooting page says one of the principal factors that lowers a sender's reputation is their junk email complaint rate. The same page says that if an Outlook.com user adds your address or domain to their contacts or safe senders list, they no longer see the unknown sender notice.
How do I unspam an email I want to receive?
If a message you want is in your own Spam or Junk folder, move it out and tell your mail app the sender is safe. Steps from each provider's help page, checked 4 November 2026:
- Gmail on a computer: open Gmail, click More, then Spam in the left menu, tick the email and click Not spam at the top. Gmail's page says future emails from that sender won't go to Spam, and that adding the sender to Google Contacts also stops it.
- Gmail app on Android, iPhone or iPad: tap Menu, then Spam, open the email, then tap More and Report not spam. Gmail's Android help page gives these steps, and the iPhone and iPad version matches.
- Outlook.com: open Safe Senders settings, select Add safe sender under Safe senders and domains, enter the address or domain, select OK, then Save. Microsoft's page says this keeps their messages out of the Junk Email folder.
Microsoft's announcement adds one limit: adding a sender to Safe Senders does not get around its high-volume authentication enforcement. For more on Outlook, see our guide to stopping emails going to spam in Outlook.
If you're the sender, you can ask important contacts to do this. A short note you can copy, with sample names:
What to do this week
Pick the three fixes that match your symptom and do them in one sitting:
- Today: ask one recipient for the Gmail banner text, and list every tool that sends as your domain.
- This week: run the SPF and DMARC checks, turn on DKIM in each tool, and move any newsletter off a free address.
- Before your next big send: remove bounces and old addresses, check the unsubscribe link, and keep the send no larger than your recent normal.
Expect a lag after each change. Google's guidelines say it can take time for a better spam rate to show in classification.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Gmail marking some of my emails as spam but not others?
Gmail's spam help page describes reasons tied to one recipient: a person who reported, blocked or unsubscribed from you will keep getting your mail in Spam, while others don't. Mail from a tool missing from your SPF record or without DKIM can fail while your normal inbox mail passes. Google also advises against mixing promotions into receipts, so give each kind of email its own From address.
How do I permanently stop receiving spam emails?
In Gmail on a computer, select the email and click Report spam; in the Gmail app, open it and tap More, then Report spam. Gmail says it gets better at spotting similar mail as you report more. For newsletters you signed up for, use Unsubscribe rather than reporting. Blocking a sender sends their future mail to Spam automatically. To clear Spam on a computer, click More, then Spam, then Delete all spam messages now.
How do I unspam my mail in Gmail?
On a computer, open Gmail, go to More and then Spam in the left menu, tick the message and click Not spam. Gmail's help page says future emails from that sender won't go to Spam after you remove one, and adding the sender to Google Contacts also stops it. In the Gmail app, tap Menu, then Spam, open the message, then More and Report not spam.
Do spam trigger words send emails to spam?
Google's sender guidelines, read on 4 November 2026, contain no list of banned words. What they name are practices: hidden text, misleading subject lines such as a fake Re:, deceptive display names, unclear links and unauthenticated mail. Check authentication, complaints and list quality before rewriting copy.
Will adding a sender to Safe Senders stop Outlook sending them to Junk?
For ordinary mail, Microsoft's Outlook.com help page says safe senders' messages aren't moved to the Junk Email folder. There is one exception: its April 2025 announcement says Safe Senders doesn't bypass the authentication rules for domains sending more than 5,000 emails a day. Those senders must fix SPF, DKIM and DMARC themselves.
Sources
- Gmail Help: Email sender guidelines (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Gmail Help: Report spam in Gmail (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Google Workspace Admin Help: Best practices for forwarding email to Gmail (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Gmail Help: Email sender guidelines FAQ (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Yahoo Sender Hub: Sender Requirements & Recommendations (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Microsoft Tech Community: Strengthening Email Ecosystem: Outlook's New Requirements for High-Volume Senders (2 Apr 2025, updated 30 Apr 2025; checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Outlook.com Postmaster: Policies and guidelines (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Outlook.com Postmaster: Troubleshooting (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Microsoft Support: Safe Senders in Outlook.com (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Mailchimp Help: Limitations of Free Email Addresses (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- IETF RFC 9989: DMARC (May 2026)
- IETF RFC 7489: DMARC (obsoleted by RFC 9989) (March 2015)
- IETF RFC 7208: Sender Policy Framework (SPF) (April 2014)
- Gmail Help: Trace an email with its full header (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Gmail Help: Report spam in Gmail (Android) (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Gmail Help: Report spam in Gmail (iPhone & iPad) (checked 4 Nov 2026)