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Production Emails Keep Going to Spam or Are Being Rejected: How Can I Fix This?

A breakdown of the most common reasons production emails get flagged as spam or rejected.

Updated over a week ago

Why Emails End Up in Spam or Get Rejected

  • Strict Email Filters – Some email providers aggressively filter incoming emails.

  • Sender Not in Contacts – Unrecognized senders are more likely to be marked as spam.

  • Incorrect Spam Training – If similar emails were marked as spam previously, filters may learn to block them.

  • ISP or Workplace Restrictions – Network settings or corporate security policies might reject certain emails.

How to Ensure Emails You Receive Don't Go to Spam or Get Rejected

Gmail

  • Mark Legitimate Emails as "Not Spam"

    1. Open Spam folder.

    2. Find the email and click “Not Spam” to move it to your inbox.

  • Whitelist a Sender

    1. Open the email.

    2. Click the three-dot menu and select Filter messages like this.

    3. Click Create filter and choose Never send to spam.

  • Check Your Promotions & Social Tabs

    • Drag emails from the Promotions or Social tab into Primary to train Gmail.

Yahoo Mail

  • Mark as "Not Spam"

    1. Go to the Spam folder.

    2. Find the email and click “Not Spam” to move it to your inbox.

  • Add a Sender to Your Contacts

    1. Open the email.

    2. Click the sender's name and select Add to Contacts.

  • Whitelist an Email Address

    1. Go to Settings > More Settings > Filters.

    2. Create a new filter that ensures emails from a trusted sender go to the inbox.

Outlook

  • Move Emails from Junk to Inbox

    1. Open the Junk Email folder.

    2. Right-click the email and select “Not Junk”.

  • Add a Sender to Safe Senders List

    1. Go to Settings > View All Outlook Settings > Junk Email.

    2. Add the sender’s email address under Safe senders and domains.

  • Check Your Focused Inbox

    • If using the Focused Inbox feature, move important emails from Other to Focused to train Outlook.

Private Mail Servers

  • Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Are Set Up – These records help email providers verify that emails are legitimate.

  • Whitelist Domains and IP Addresses – If an email is incorrectly blocked, add the sender’s domain/IP to your mail server’s whitelist.

  • Check Your Firewall & Security Policies – Some security settings may block legitimate emails.

Additional Steps to Prevent Rejections

  • Ask Senders to Use Verified Email Services – If emails are being rejected, the sender may need to improve their email configuration.

  • Check for Blocklists – Use tools like MXToolbox to check if the sender’s domain is blacklisted.

  • Use a Different Email Client – If an email is being rejected, trying another email provider (e.g., forwarding from Yahoo to Gmail) may help.

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