What happened with Microsoft's email filters and how did it affect inbox placement?

Summary

Microsoft's email filter issues stem from accidental outages, as well as reliance on user complaints, content analysis, and sender reputation. A temporary filter outage led to higher inbox placement, while ongoing issues like domain blocking and reliance on user feedback for SmartScreen can negatively affect deliverability. Temporary glitches may self-correct. Implementing proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), maintaining good list hygiene, monitoring feedback loops, and using a dedicated IP can improve deliverability. Content, IP blacklisting, and low engagement also significantly impact sender reputation and inbox placement. Monitoring server health and deliverability metrics helps identify and resolve issues promptly.

Key findings

  • Filter Outages: Accidental filter outages can temporarily increase inbox placement.
  • User Feedback: SmartScreen filter uses user feedback (marking emails as junk) to determine future deliverability.
  • Content Triggers: Certain words/phrases in email content can trigger spam filters.
  • IP Blacklisting: A blacklisted IP leads to emails being filtered as spam.
  • Engagement Impact: Low user engagement hurts sender reputation.
  • Domain Blocking: Microsoft can block entire domains, impacting legitimate senders.
  • Reputation is Key: Sender reputation is a primary factor in inbox placement.

Key considerations

  • Authentication: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for authentication.
  • List Hygiene: Practice good list hygiene by removing inactive subscribers.
  • Feedback Loops: Monitor complaints and unsubscribe users through feedback loops.
  • Dedicated IP: Use a dedicated IP to manage and build reputation.
  • Server Health: Monitor server health and configuration.
  • Metrics Tracking: Monitor deliverability metrics (bounce rates, complaint rates).
  • Proactive Monitoring: Address reputation issues promptly and proactively.
  • Temporary Glitches: Be aware some deliverability issues may be temporary and self-correct.

What email marketers say
10Marketer opinions

Microsoft's email filters, including the SmartScreen filter, use various factors to determine inbox placement. Temporary glitches, user behavior (marking emails as junk), content, IP blacklisting, low engagement, and lack of email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) can negatively impact deliverability. Maintaining good sender reputation through list hygiene, monitoring feedback loops, using a dedicated IP, and A/B testing content are crucial for ensuring emails reach Microsoft inboxes.

Key opinions

  • SmartScreen Filter: Microsoft's SmartScreen filter learns from user behavior, impacting future deliverability.
  • Content Matters: Specific words and phrases can trigger Microsoft's spam filters.
  • IP Blacklisting: A blacklisted IP address will likely cause emails to be filtered as spam.
  • Engagement: Low user engagement negatively affects sender reputation.
  • Authentication: Lack of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC can lead to emails being marked as spam.

Key considerations

  • List Hygiene: Regularly remove inactive subscribers to improve sender reputation.
  • Feedback Loops: Monitor complaints and unsubscribe users to improve deliverability.
  • Dedicated IP: Use a dedicated IP address to build a good reputation.
  • Content Testing: A/B test content to avoid triggering spam filters.
  • Reputation Monitoring: Constantly monitor sender reputation and resolve problems early.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet recommends using feedback loops to monitor complaints and unsubscribe users to improve deliverability.

May 2021 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailGeeks Community mentions that certain words and phrases in email content can trigger Microsoft's spam filters, leading to lower inbox placement. She recommends A/B testing content.

May 2022 - EmailGeeks Community
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid suggests using a dedicated IP address to build a good reputation and prevent being affected by other senders' practices, leading to improved deliverability to Microsoft inboxes.

May 2021 - Email On Acid
Marketer view

Email marketer from StackExchange explains that if your sending IP address is blacklisted, your emails will likely be filtered as spam by Microsoft. He suggests checking your IP against common blacklists.

April 2021 - StackExchange
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Deliverability Blog suggests that not having proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) can cause Microsoft to filter your emails as spam. Implementing these protocols is crucial for deliverability.

October 2023 - Email Deliverability Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Experts Forum recommends practicing good list hygiene by regularly removing inactive or unengaged subscribers, as this can improve your sender reputation with Microsoft.

March 2023 - Email Marketing Experts Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Tips Blog shares that low user engagement (e.g., low open rates, high deletion rates) can negatively impact your sender reputation with Microsoft, leading to deliverability issues.

January 2024 - Email Marketing Tips Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum shares that Microsoft uses a SmartScreen filter which learns from user behavior. If users mark emails as junk, it negatively impacts future deliverability for that sender.

April 2024 - Email Marketing Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks expresses concern that the increased inboxing has led to MUCH more people hitting the junk button and that MS might block senders based on those junk reports.

January 2025 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares that deliverability issues with Microsoft services are sometimes temporary glitches that resolve themselves as their systems self-correct and adjust to new patterns in email traffic.

October 2021 - Reddit

What the experts say
6Expert opinions

Microsoft experienced an issue where email filters were accidentally disabled, leading to unexpected higher inbox placement for some senders. Some senders saw their emails return to the inbox after previously being marked as spam. Microsoft sometimes blocks entire domains without clear justification, harming deliverability even for reputable senders. Maintaining a good sender reputation through continuous monitoring is crucial for email deliverability.

Key opinions

  • Filter Outage: Microsoft's email filters were temporarily turned off, impacting inbox placement.
  • Deliverability Shift: Some senders experienced improved inboxing after the filter failure.
  • Domain Blocking: Microsoft may block entire domains, affecting even legitimate emails.

Key considerations

  • Reputation is Key: Maintaining a positive sender reputation is crucial for deliverability at Microsoft.
  • Monitor Continuously: Actively monitor and address any reputation issues promptly.
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes that maintaining a good sending reputation is crucial for deliverability at Microsoft. She recommends actively monitoring and addressing any reputation issues promptly.

February 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource shares that Microsoft sometimes blocks entire domains for no apparent reason, impacting inbox placement even for legitimate senders.

September 2022 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares he is hearing some noise of unexpected higher than usual inbox placement because of the Microsoft email filter failure.

March 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that his own Spam Resource emails are back to the inbox at Hotmail/Outlook after the Microsoft filter failure.

January 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks says that Microsoft accidentally turned off their email filters.

October 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that this issue seems to be related to the focused inbox and has been going on for less than a week.

May 2021 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Microsoft's Outlook.com uses factors like user complaints, sender reputation, and content analysis to filter spam, and failures in these systems affect inbox placement. Monitoring server health and deliverability metrics like bounce rates and complaint rates can help identify and address deliverability problems. Maintaining a good sender reputation is critical. While primarily for Gmail, following general bulk sender guidelines can improve deliverability across platforms, including Microsoft.

Key findings

  • Multifactor Filtering: Outlook.com's spam filtering uses user complaints, sender reputation, and content analysis.
  • Reputation Matters: Sender reputation is a key factor in determining inbox placement.
  • Metrics Monitoring: Monitoring deliverability metrics helps identify problems with Microsoft's filtering.

Key considerations

  • Server Health: Regularly check the health and configuration of your mail servers.
  • Sender Guidelines: Follow bulk sender guidelines, including clear unsubscribe options and relevant content.
  • Corrective Action: Take corrective action based on deliverability metrics to resolve issues.
Technical article

Documentation from Google Workspace explains that, while targeted at Gmail, following general bulk sender guidelines like clear unsubscribe options and relevant content helps improve overall deliverability, including to Microsoft.

March 2023 - Google Workspace
Technical article

Documentation from MXToolbox explains that issues may arise with server health leading to filtering issues. They provide tools for checking the health and configuration of mail servers, identifying potential problems that could affect deliverability to Microsoft.

September 2024 - MXToolbox
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft Support explains that Outlook.com uses several factors to determine whether a message is spam, including user complaints, sender reputation, and content analysis. Changes or failures in any of these systems can affect inbox placement.

July 2022 - Microsoft Support
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost explains that monitoring deliverability metrics (e.g., bounce rates, complaint rates) can help identify potential problems with Microsoft's filtering and take corrective action.

June 2023 - SparkPost
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft Docs explains that sender reputation is a key factor in inbox placement. Poor reputation can lead to emails being filtered as spam, and Microsoft actively monitors sender reputation.

November 2024 - Microsoft Docs