Mail's Junk Filter

I have to use this old thread because I think the mail.app client and Gmail are a horrible combination in regards of junk mail

For some reason Mail.app has made up its own ideas of what is and isn't junk mail and it's annoying me. I've looked at the rules and can't imagine why some mail still makes it into my mailbox and why some doesn't. Secondly it seems I can't run new junk mail rules on my inbox. Also, if I mark mail as not junk mail, it still flipping stays in my damn junk mail folder...damn

I don't want to create rules for individual junk mails and I don't want them all in my inbox. but I don't know of any other solution other than to stop using mail.app

 

You may unroll your eyes because you clearly have not been paying attention. The whole point of the Mail junk mail filter is that it is trainable. You are expected to train it prior to setting it loose on your junk mail.

For the first couple of weeks or so, run the filter in training mode. Junk mail candidates will be colored brown. If a brown message is not junk, then tell the filter that it is not junk. If a non-brown message is junk, then tell the filter that it is junk. Over time--say two weeks or so--you will get fewer false positives and fewer missed junk messages. When the filter is sufficiently accurate, then take it out of training mode. Messages will be sent to the Junk Mail folder where they may be examined at your leisure. You may continue to educate the filter even after you have taken it out of training mode.

By mindful of this fact: Junk mail is not just one thing. Senders adapt to thwart junk mail filters. If you find that you are receiving an increasing number of junk messages. In this case, you may place the filter back into training mode.

 

Faulty Filter

When I send a test message to myself using Mac Mail from home, it comes through just fine. From my office (Windows XP), I have to use my AOL account to email my wife and it comes through on the Mac at home as junk. I have identified it on Mac Mail as "not junk", but it does not seem to care. My address is in the Mac address book properly. It used to work just fine, but two weeks ago I got a new Mac at home and the junk problem began. I can set up a rule to copy the message into the inbox, but why should I have to do that?

 

Training is not an instantaneous process. It takes time. In my previous post, I said "two weeks or so." Also, there is no secret server back at Apple or anywhere else that retains the intelligence of each user's Junk Mail filter. The intelligence resides locally on each computer in each user's Home directory. If you purchase a new computer, then you must train Mail's Junk Mail filter in your account on the new computer.

Also, Junk Mail is not one thing. It changes. Mail's Junk Mail filter is designed to accept continual training whether in training mode or not. It is your baby. Teach it and it will follow.

 

Junk Filtering

Thanks, MisterMe. I think the confusion comes from the junk filter training process. Nothing seems to clearly define when it is in training mode. From your reply it appears that if it is set to automatically deliver the message to the junk folder, it is not in training. Now I know to take it out of the automatic mode and let it learn.

 

I've tried "training" apple mail to filter my junk mail accordingly but it just never works as well as Gmail's junk filtering IMO.

I have completely disable junk filtering in Apple Mail and have created the appropriate rules in Gmail settings.

My main reason for this is that spammers have somehow resorted to sending me email from my own email address. I send emails to myself for work on a regular basis. This posed a huge problem for me because Apple Mail kept marking my own emails as spam. However, Gmail seems to be smart enough to differentiate emails I've sent from emails spammers sent using my email address.

 

Try Spam Sieve. Best filter ever.

You need to train it though, but works very well.