- From your AOL Mail inbox, click on "Options" (top right) and choose "Settings".
- Select "Spam Settings" on the left.
- Pick a value in the "Spam Filter" dropdown: Medium (default) will catch most junk mail without filtering most legitimate messages; only choose "High" if you have serious spam issues (but regularly check your Spam folder for "real" emails). "Low" will likely let through some junk to your inbox, and "Off" (not recommended) will put all messages you receive into your inbox.
- The "Sender Filter" lets you block / allow email senders based on specific addresses or your contact list, in addition to the spam filter. Blocked emails are either moved to the Spam folder (default), or automatically deleted: see "Last Step" (bottom of this tutorial).
• "Block mail from addresses I specify" prevents these people from emailing you.
• "Allow mail from all senders" legitimate-looking emails go to your inbox, suspect ones go to your Spam folder - but everyone can email you (this is the default option).
• "Allow mail only from aol.com users" prevents anyone without an AOL email address from sending you anything - keep in mind that your AOL friends may also use another email account (e.g., their work email address, which will likely not end in "@aol.com").
• "Allow mail only from people I know" blocks all senders but those in your address book.
• "Allow mail only from addresses I specify" - people cannot send you emails unless you've manually added them to your list of allowed sender - great choice for your kids.
• "Block mail from all senders" essentially shuts down your account to the outside. - "Content Filter": if you check the "Block mail containing pictures or files" checkbox, no emails containing a file attachment of any kind, or an "inline" image, will ever reach you *.
Tip: people can still send you messages that include clickable links to online files / pictures.
- Check "Block mail containing specific words and phrases" to add and filter out typical junk mail terms (e.g., type in "Viagra" to stop these messages from polluting your inbox).
- * "Last Step": the "Blocked Mail" setting controls how AOL Mail handles blocked messages. Choose "Permanently delete blocked mail" or "Deliver blocked mail to Spam folder": this is the default, and a safer option since some legitimate mail may inadvertently be blocked.
- Click "Save Settings" (bottom), and "Back to Mail" (top left) to return to your inbox.
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