Configuring your Mail Client for SPAM Filtering

  1. Outlook 2003
  2. Outlook 2000/XP/Outlook Express
  3. Thunderbird

1. Configuring Mail Rules in Outlook 2003

The steps provided here apply to Outlook 2003.

1.1. From the Outlook Menu Bar click "Tools > Rules and Alerts".

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1.2. Click on "New Rule".

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1.3. Select "Move messages with specific word in the subject to a folder" and click "Next".

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1.4. Select the "with specific words in the subject" condition and in the "Rule description section click "specific words"

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1.5. A new dialog box will appear. Here you add the label used by your server side Spam filter and click "Add" and then "OK".  In this example the default value of SPAM is used.

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1.6. You are now back in the window with the Rule description. This time click "specified" to specify a folder to move spam email messages.

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1.7. You are now asked to choose a folder. If there is a folder in the list you would like to use select it and click OK or you can click "New" to create a new folder.

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1.8. If you clicked new in the previous step you are ask to create a new folder. Give the folder a name that identifies it as a location for SPAM. Set the "Folder contains" field to "Mail and Post Items" and select a location to place the folder and click "OK".

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1.9. You will be presented with a window and the file you created will be selected. Click "OK".

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1.10. You are brought back to the conditions and rule description window. Confirm the selections and click "Next".

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1.11. You now asked to select what to do with the message. "Move it to the specified folder" should already be select since you selected a folder in step 1.9. Click "Next".

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1.12. If you want to set any exceptions for this rule you can select it from this window. When you exceptions have been set you can click "Next".

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1.13. The next window ask you to specify a name for the rule. We recommend that you give it the same name as the label used by your server side Spam filter application. Check "Turn on this rule" to activate the rule and click "Finish".

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1.14. You have now created the rule. Click "Apply" to activate the rule and start filtering email. Click "OK" to close the window.

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2. Configuring Mail Filters in Outlook 2000/XP

The steps provided here were done in Outlook XP but you can use these same steps in Outlook 2000.

2.1. From the Outlook Menu Bar click "Tools > Rules Wizard (Message Rules in Outlook Express)"

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2.2. Click on "New"

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2.3. Click on "Move messages based on content" and and then Next.

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2.4. Select the "with specific words in the subject" condition and in the "Rule description section click "specific words"

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2.5. A new dialog box will appear. Here you add the label used by your server side Spam filter and click "Add" and then "OK".  In this example the default value of SPAM is used.

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2.6. You are now back in the window with the Rule description. This time click "specified" to specify a folder to move spam email messages.

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2.7. You are now asked to choose a folder. If there is a folder in the list you would like to use select it and click ok or you can click "New" to create a new folder.

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2.8. If you clicked new in the previous step you are ask to create a new folder. Give the folder a name that identifies it as a location for SPAM. Set the "Folder contains" field to "Mail and Post Items" and select a location to place the folder and click "OK".

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2.9. You will be presented with a window and the file you created will be selected. Click "OK".

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2.10. You are brought back to the conditions and rule description window. Confirm the selections and click "Next".

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2.11. You now asked to select what to do with the message. "Move it to the specified folder should" already be select since you selected a folder in step 2.9. Click "Next".

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2.12. If you want to set any exceptions for this rule you can select it from this window. When you exceptions have been set you can click "Next".

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2.13. Our next window ask us to specify a name for the rule. We recommend that you give it the same name as the label used by your server side Spam filter application. Check "Turn on this rule" to activate the rule and click "Finish".

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2.14. You have now created the rule and you are give some options. Click " OK" will activate the rule and start filtering email. Clicking "Run Now" will bring up the new dialog box in section "1.15".

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2.15. Select the rule, select the folder to run the rule in and Click "Run Now". All you messages in the selected folder will be scanned and checked for the criteria in your rule.

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3. Configuring Mail Filters in Mozilla Thunderbird

3.1. From the Thunderbird Menu Bar click "Tools > Message Filters".

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3.2. Click on the "New" button to open the filter rules windows.

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3.3. Assign the filter a name in the "Filter name" field. Select "Match all of the following or Match any of the following". In the first drop down select "Subject". Select Contains from the second drop down and in the empty field type the text used by your server side spam filter (the default is SPAM). Now move down to the "Perform these actions" area and set you actions. Check the first option which is "Move to folder". After you selection click on "New Folder" to create a new folder for SPAM messages.

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3.4. Give your a name like SPAM, select the "Inbox" as the parent location for you folder and click "OK"

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3.5. You are brought back to the "Filter Rules" window. Confirm your settings and click "OK".

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3.5. You have successfully created a new message filter in Thunderbird. You can run the filter now by clicking "Run Now" or you can close the window.

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