How to stop spam

This guide shows how to cut down the spam reaching your mailboxes using Spam Filters in cPanel.

How the filter works

Spam Filters uses Apache SpamAssassin. It checks each incoming email and gives it a score. The more a message looks like spam, the higher the score. You decide what score counts as spam and what happens to those messages.

Turn on spam filtering

1. Log in to cPanel. See how to log in to cPanel.
2. Open Spam Filters in the Email section.
3. Turn on Process New Emails and Mark them as Spam.

Messages that score above the threshold will now have their subject marked so you can spot them. Depending on your settings and cPanel version, you may also see an option to move spam into a separate spam folder. Turning that on keeps your inbox clearer.

Set the spam threshold score

1. In Spam Filters, find Spam Threshold Score and click to change it.
2. Pick a score. The default is 5.
3. Click Update Scoring Options.

A lower score is stricter and catches more spam, but more genuine mail may be caught too. A higher score lets more through. If you lower it, check your spam folder for the first week or so.

Delete obvious spam automatically

1. In Spam Filters, turn on Automatically Delete New Spam (Auto-Delete).
2. Set the Auto-Delete Threshold Score. Messages scoring this or higher are deleted without reaching you.
3. Save the change.

Set this well above your normal threshold, for example 10 or more, so only very obvious spam is thrown away. Deleted messages can’t be got back from the spam filter.

Allow and block senders

Under Additional Configurations (you may need to click Show Additional Configurations), you’ll find two lists.

• Whitelist (Emails Never Marked as Spam): add addresses or domains you always want to receive, such as a supplier whose mail keeps getting caught.
• Blacklist (Emails Always Marked as Spam): add addresses or domains you never want to hear from.

Click Edit next to the list, add an entry, and click Update. You can use *@example.com to cover a whole domain.

If it doesn’t work

• Genuine mail is being marked as spam. Add the sender to the allow list or raise the threshold score.
• Spam still gets through. Lower the threshold a step at a time. Add repeat senders to the block list, though most spammers change address often.
• Mail is missing. Check your spam folder, and check Auto-Delete isn’t set too low. See why is my email not arriving.

Good to know

Never reply to spam or click unsubscribe links in it, as that tells the sender your address is live. Publishing your email address as plain text on your website also attracts spam, so a contact form is often a better choice.

Still stuck? Open a support ticket and we’ll help.