"Offering free computer help, hints, and tips to the Internet populace." Now with over 3,820 tips!

Windows Live Hotmail

Prevent Email from Certain Senders Being Marked Junk

SUMMARY: A quick Windows Live Hotmail tip for beginners - how to add senders to your "safe senders" list.

If you're a Windows Live Hotmail user and notice that legitimate e-mail from certain addresses are getting marked as junk or not reaching you at all, here's a quick step-by-step process on how to add those individuals to your "Safe Senders" list. Such e-mail addresses should not be marked as junk e-mail by Hotmail:

1. Click the "Options" link on the top-right of the Windows Live Hotmail page, selecting "More options".

2. The "Hotmail Options" page appears. Underneath "Junk e-mail" click "Safe and blocked senders".

3. When the "Safe and blocked senders" page appears, click "Safe senders".

4. Now to add an e-mail address or entire domain to the list, just type it in underneath "Sender or domain to mark as safe" and press the "Add to list" button. The address or domain will appear underneath "Safe senders and domains".

Marking e-mail coming from the envprogramming.com domain as safe in Windows Live Hotmail

Domain appearing underneath the "Safe senders" list.

5. If later you need to remove an e-mail address or domain, click the appropriate entry underneath "Safe senders and domains" and click the "Remove from list" button.

While this should prevent legitimate e-mail from such addresses / domains from entering your Junk folder, note that some unscrupulous types may attempt to send you e-mail forging the "from" address so it appears to come from an entry that might be on your "Safe senders" list.

Screenshots, information, and features were up-to-date as of August 19, 2009. They are subject to change.