Where your spam folder lives and how to open it

Your spam folder is a separate inbox that your email program automatically sends suspected junk mail to. The location depends on which email service you use. In Gmail, it appears as a label on the left sidebar called "Spam" — click it to see what landed there. In Outlook, look for a folder called "Junk Email" in the left sidebar under your inbox. In Apple Mail on a Mac, check the mailbox list on the left for "Junk" — it may be collapsed under "On My Mac" or under your account name if you use iCloud.

On a phone or tablet, the process is the same: open your email app, find the menu or folder list, and look for Spam, Junk, or Junk Email. If you cannot find it, search your email app's help section for "spam folder" — the exact name varies by service, but every email program has one.

Key Takeaways

  • Your spam folder is automatic — your email service sends suspected junk there without you doing anything, and you should check it regularly because real emails sometimes land there by mistake.
  • Gmail calls it "Spam", Outlook calls it "Junk Email", and Apple Mail calls it "Junk", but all three are in your main folder list on the left side of the screen.
  • If you find a real email in spam, click it and look for a button that says "Not spam" or "Report not junk" to move it back to your inbox and train your filter.
  • Emails in your spam folder are usually deleted automatically after 30 days, so if you think something important landed there, check within a month.
  • Scammers often use sender names and addresses that look almost real, so read the actual email address — not just the display name — before trusting that an email came from who it claims to be.

How to move an email out of spam and back to your inbox

When you find a real email that was wrongly marked as spam, you need to move it back to your inbox and tell your email service it was a mistake. Open the email and look for a button or link that says "Not spam", "Report not junk", "This isn't spam", or "Not junk" — the exact wording depends on your email service. Click it. The email will move back to your inbox, and your email service will learn that future emails from that sender are less likely to be spam.

If you cannot find that button, you can move the email manually. Right-click the email (or long-press on a phone) and select "Move to" or "Move", then choose "Inbox". This moves the email but does not train your filter the way the "Not spam" button does, so use the button when you can find it.

Why real emails end up in spam and how to prevent it

Email filters look for patterns that scammers use — certain words, suspicious links, requests for passwords or money. Sometimes a real email from a bank, a store, or a person you know triggers these patterns by accident. A receipt with a link to track your order, a password reset email, or a message from a new contact can all land in spam even though they are legitimate.

To prevent this, add important senders to your contacts or address book. When you do, your email service learns to trust emails from that address. In Gmail, open an email from that sender and click the three dots menu, then select "Add to contacts". In Outlook, right-click the sender's name and choose "Add to contacts". In Apple Mail, click the sender's name at the top of the email and select "Add to Contacts". From then on, emails from that sender are much less likely to land in spam.

What to look for when you are checking spam — spotting scams

While you are checking your spam folder, take a moment to look at what landed there. Scammers often use sender names that look real — "PayPal Support", "Amazon Account Team", "Your Bank" — but the actual email address tells the truth. Hover over or click the sender's name to see the full email address. Real PayPal emails come from an address ending in @paypal.com. Real Amazon emails end in @amazon.com. If the address ends in something else — like @paypal-find.com or @amazon-help.net — it is a scam, even if the name looks right.

Scam emails also often ask you to click a link and enter your password, confirm your account, update your payment method, or verify your identity. Real companies almost never ask you to do this in an email. If you get an email like that, do not click the link. Instead, go directly to the company's website by typing the address into your browser, log in, and check your account from there. That way you know you are on the real website, not a fake one designed to steal your password.

How long emails stay in your spam folder before they are deleted

Most email services keep emails in your spam folder for 30 days, then delete them automatically. Gmail keeps spam for 30 days. Outlook keeps it for 10 days. Apple Mail does not have a set time limit — emails stay until you delete them manually. If you think an important email landed in spam, check within a month (or within 10 days if you use Outlook) to recover it before it is gone.

You can also change these settings if you want spam to stay longer or be deleted faster. In Gmail, go to Settings, click the "Labels" tab, find "Spam", and click "Show" or "Hide" to control whether you see it. In Outlook, go to Settings, select "Mail", then "Junk email" to adjust how long emails stay there. These settings are optional — the defaults work fine for most people.

Checking spam on your phone or tablet

The steps are the same on a phone as on a computer, but the layout is different. Open your email app and look for a menu button — usually three horizontal lines in the top left or top right corner. Tap it to see your folder list. Scroll down to find "Spam", "Junk Email", or "Junk", then tap it. You will see all the emails your phone thinks are spam. Tap any email to open it, and look for a "Not spam" or "Not junk" button near the top. If you find one, tap it to move the email back to your inbox.

If your email app does not show a folder list, try swiping from the left edge of the screen toward the right. This often reveals the menu on phones. If you still cannot find your spam folder, search your email app's help section — the exact steps vary depending on which app you use and which phone you have.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover an email that was deleted from spam more than 30 days ago?

In most cases, no — once an email is deleted from spam, it is gone. Gmail and Outlook delete automatically after 30 and 10 days respectively. If you think an important email landed in spam, check your spam folder regularly so you catch it before the deletion date.

Why do emails from my bank keep going to spam?

Banks often send emails with links and requests to verify information, which can trigger spam filters. Add your bank's email address to your contacts so your email service learns to trust it. You can also ask your bank if they have a whitelist or safe sender list you can join.

If I mark something as "not spam", will it stop going to spam in the future?

Usually yes. When you click "Not spam" or "Not junk", you are training your email filter to recognize that sender as safe. Future emails from that address are less likely to be marked as spam, though it is not may provide — filters are not perfect.

Is it safe to click links in emails I find in my spam folder?

No. If an email is in your spam folder, your email service thought it looked suspicious. Even if it looks real, do not click links in it. Instead, go directly to the company's website by typing the address into your browser, or call the company's customer service number from their official website.

What should I do if I see a scam email in my spam folder?

Leave it there — your email service is already filtering it correctly. You can delete it if you want, but you do not have to. Do not click any links or reply to it. If the scam is pretending to be from a real company, you can report it to that company by forwarding it to their abuse or security email address, which you can find on their official website.