Short answer: Hotmail is now Outlook.com, and its spam filter lives under Settings > Mail > Junk email. Add addresses or whole domains to Blocked senders and domains to send them straight to Junk, and add people you trust to Safe senders and domains so they never land there. To sort everything else automatically, create inbox rules under Settings > Mail > Rules, or right-click a message and create a rule from it. Check the Junk Email folder now and then: Microsoft deletes junk automatically after 14 days.
Hotmail is Outlook.com now
If you still have a @hotmail.com address, it works as before, but you manage it through Outlook.com (or the Outlook apps). That's why every setting below is labelled Outlook. Microsoft's own help pages say "Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, or Outlook on the web" in the same breath, and the steps are the same for all three.
Outlook.com gives you four filtering tools. Each does a different job:
| Tool | What it does | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Junk email filter | Moves suspected spam to the Junk Email folder automatically | On by default |
| Blocked senders and domains | Sends every message from an address or domain to Junk | Settings > Mail > Junk email |
| Safe senders and domains | Keeps messages from trusted senders out of Junk | Settings > Mail > Junk email |
| Inbox rules | Moves, labels, flags or deletes mail that matches conditions you set | Settings > Mail > Rules |
Two extras help too: Sweep for clearing out one sender in bulk, and Focused Inbox for splitting important mail from the rest.
How to block spam senders in Hotmail
- Sign in to Outlook.com and select Settings (the gear icon) at the top of the page.
- Select Mail > Junk email.
- To block one address, enter it under Blocked senders and select Add. To block a whole domain, enter the domain (for example, example.com) under Blocked domains and select Add.
- Select Save.
To unblock someone, go back to the same page, select the address or domain and remove it. If you've added more than one account to Outlook.com, pick the account first; the lists are per account.
A blocked sender can still send you mail. It just goes to Junk instead of your inbox, which is why blocking works best against persistent senders, not against spammers who change addresses every day.
Stop good email going to junk: safe senders
- Select Settings > Mail > Junk email.
- Under Safe senders and domains, select Add safe sender, enter the address or domain and select OK.
- For newsletters and group mail, use Safe mailing lists > Add safe mailing list.
- Select Save.
If something legitimate is already in Junk, move it back to your inbox and add the sender here so it doesn't happen again.
Filter emails in Hotmail with inbox rules
Rules are the real "Hotmail filters": they act on every new message as it arrives. The quick way:
- Right-click a message from the sender you want to filter.
- Select Rule > Create rule.
- Choose the folder those messages should go to and select OK.
For anything more specific, such as filtering by subject keywords, or flagging, forwarding or deleting messages, build the rule from scratch:
- Select Settings > Mail > Rules.
- Select Add new rule.
- Give the rule a name, then add at least one condition and one action. Use Add a condition, Add an action and Add an exception to stack more.
- Tick Stop processing more rules if no other rule should run after this one.
- Select Save.
Rules run in the order they're listed, so put the most specific ones at the top. To pause a rule without deleting it, use the toggle next to it on the Rules page.
Clean up faster with Sweep and Focused Inbox
- Sweep handles one sender in bulk. Select a message, choose Sweep in the toolbar, and decide what happens to that sender's mail: move it to a folder (or to Deleted Items) once, or for all future messages too.
- Focused Inbox splits your inbox into Focused and Other tabs and pushes bulk and automated mail to Other. Turn it on or off under Settings > Mail > Message List. If a sender lands on the wrong tab, right-click the message and choose Move, then Always move to Focused inbox (or Other).
- Filter, at the top of the message list, shows only unread, flagged or other subsets of a folder without changing anything.
When the Hotmail spam filter isn't working
- Spam keeps getting through. Block the domain, not just the address, if the sender rotates names. For phishing that imitates a real company, don't just block it: learn the signs in our guide to spotting and reporting phishing emails.
- Real mail lands in Junk. Add the sender or their domain to Safe senders. Check the Junk Email folder regularly, since Microsoft removes its contents after 14 days and you can't recover them after that.
- A rule does nothing. Some rules created in other versions of Outlook can't be processed by Outlook.com, and you can't run or edit them there. Recreate the rule in Outlook.com.
- You read Hotmail in the new Outlook for Windows alongside other accounts. New Outlook doesn't support rules or sender blocking for third-party accounts such as Gmail, Yahoo or iCloud. Set those up with each provider.
For a broader clean-up beyond filters, see our guide to organizing your email inbox.
Using Hotmail with other accounts
Disclosure: we make Canary Mail. If Hotmail is one of several addresses you check, Canary Mail puts Outlook, Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo, Exchange and other IMAP accounts in one app on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows and Android. The free plan covers unlimited accounts on 2 devices with AI inbox sorting, and tracker blocking is on by default. The Pro+ plan ($100 a year) adds phishing and impersonation detection. Your Outlook.com junk filter and rules keep running on Microsoft's side either way.
Frequently asked questions
How do I change the spam filter in Hotmail?
Go to Outlook.com, select Settings > Mail > Junk email. There you can block senders and domains, add safe senders and safe mailing lists, and save your changes. The automatic junk filter itself runs on Microsoft's side.
Why is my Hotmail suddenly getting so much spam?
Often because your address has turned up on a new mailing list or in a data breach. Block repeat senders by domain, report phishing instead of opening it, and avoid replying or clicking unsubscribe links in obvious spam, which can confirm your address is active.
How do I check spam emails on Hotmail?
Open the Junk Email folder in the folder list on Outlook.com. Move anything legitimate back to your inbox and add the sender to Safe senders so their mail stays out of Junk.
Can I create filters in Hotmail?
Yes. Hotmail filters are called inbox rules. Go to Settings > Mail > Rules > Add new rule, or right-click a message and choose Rule > Create rule to filter that sender into a folder.
How long does Hotmail keep junk email?
Microsoft says email is removed from the Junk Email folder automatically after 14 days and can't be recovered after that, so check the folder at least every week or two if you're expecting something important.
Sources
- Microsoft: Block or unblock senders in Outlook (includes Outlook.com)
- Microsoft: Safe senders in Outlook.com
- Microsoft: Filter junk email and spam in Outlook
- Microsoft: Use inbox rules in Outlook
- Microsoft: Organize your inbox in Outlook.com (Sweep, rules, filters)
- Microsoft: Focused Inbox for Outlook
- Microsoft: View only unread messages in Outlook