How to Check Your Spam Folder in Gmail, Outlook & Yahoo

Gmail on a computer: in the left menu, click More, then Spam. Gmail app: tap Menu (three lines), then Spam. Outlook.com: open the Junk Email folder. Yahoo Mail: open More, then Spam.

If you find a message you wanted, mark it as Not spam (Outlook: It's not junk). That moves it back to your inbox. The steps for each service are below.

How to check your spam folder in Gmail

On a computer

1. Open Gmail.
2. In the left menu, click More. You may need to scroll down.
3. Click Spam.

To move a message out of Spam:

1. Tick the box next to the message.
2. At the top, click Not spam.

The message moves to your inbox. Steps from Google's Mark or unmark spam in Gmail help page.

In the Gmail app on Android

1. Open the Gmail app.
2. At the top left, tap Menu.
3. Tap Spam.
4. Open the email you want to keep.
5. At the top right, tap More (three dots), then Report not spam.

See Google's Android steps.

In the Gmail app on iPhone or iPad

1. Open the Gmail app.
2. At the top left, tap Menu.
3. Tap Spam.
4. Open the email you want to keep.
5. At the top right, tap More, then Report not spam.

See Google's iPhone and iPad steps.

How to check your Junk Email folder in Outlook.com

Outlook.com calls its spam folder Junk Email.

1. Open the Junk Email folder.
2. Select the messages you want to keep.
3. Select It's not junk.

To keep future mail from that sender out of Junk, add the sender to your Safe senders list. If you blocked the sender by mistake, remove them from Blocked senders first.

Check Junk Email regularly. Microsoft says messages in it are automatically deleted between 10 and 30 days after they arrive. See Mail goes to the Junk folder by mistake.

How to check your spam folder in Yahoo Mail

1. In Yahoo Mail, select More options, then Spam.
2. Select the email you want to keep.
3. Select Not spam.

Yahoo moves the message to your inbox, and future messages from that sender should go to the inbox too. Yahoo also advises against clicking links or images in the Spam folder. See Manage spam in Yahoo Mail.

Can't find the email in spam?

• Search everywhere. In Gmail, search for in:anywhere followed by the sender or a word from the subject, for example in:anywhere invoice. Google says this operator includes Spam and Trash (Gmail search operators).
• Check Trash. If the message was deleted, look in Trash. Gmail permanently deletes messages that have been in Trash for 30 days (Delete messages in Gmail).
• Check your filters. A filter can archive, label, or delete mail automatically. In Gmail, review your filters under Settings > See all settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses (Create rules to filter your emails).
• Ask your administrator. On a work or school account, your organization may hold some mail before it reaches you.
• Ask the sender to send it again. The original message may never have been delivered.

If you deleted a message by mistake, see our guide to recovering deleted mail.

How to keep important mail out of spam

• Mark wanted mail as not spam each time it lands in the spam folder. Don't just open it and move on.
• In Outlook.com, add regular senders to Safe senders. In Yahoo Mail, marking a message Not spam also sends that sender's future mail to the inbox.
• Don't open links or attachments in spam unless you're sure the sender is genuine. Google says to choose Report not spam for messages from unconfirmed senders only when you trust them.

If customer or project emails keep getting lost, a shared board in Gmail can help. With Kanban Tasks, you can turn an important email into a task with a link back to the message, so the request stays visible after it leaves your inbox.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the spam folder in Gmail?

On a computer, it's under More in the left menu. In the Gmail app, tap Menu to see it.

Why is a sender I know going to spam?

Spam filters sometimes catch mail from senders you know. Mark the message as Not spam each time it happens. If it keeps happening, tell the sender, because the cause may be on their side.

Is it safe to open emails in my spam folder?

Be careful. Spam can include phishing. Check the sender's address before you open links or attachments, and only mark a message as not spam when you trust the sender.