How to Send Spam to the Spam Folder in Yahoo Mail

Even Yahoo Mail's strong spam filter doesn't catch everything

by Heinz Tschabitscher
An independent writer who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
Updated September 17, 2018

If you can hardly see your regular email because your Yahoo Mail Inbox is flooded with unsolicited bulk mail, it's time to do something about that. Yahoo Mail has an effective filtering system in place that is aimed at sorting out the majority of unsolicited bulk emails before you receive them at your Yahoo Mail account, but some will make it through.

Send Spam to the Spam Folder in Yahoo Mail

You should manually mark any spam that makes it to your inbox. This moves the offending email to a separate folder and gives Yahoo information it can use to fine-tune its filtering system for future emails. With the email open:

  1. Open Yahoo Mall and click on the spammy email to open it.

  2. Go to the row of action icons at the bottom of the email and click More.

  3. In the menu that opens, click This is Spam.

  4. The email moves to the Spam folder.

  5. If you change your mind, go to the Spam folder, open the email, click More at the bottom of the email and select Not Spam. 

If the email is particularly spammy or you've manually marked it as spam in the past but you are still receiving it, open the email and click Spam in the row of action icons above the email field. Select Report Spam from the menu that opens. The email is moved to the Spam folder, and Yahoo is notified. No other action is necessary. 

How to Avoid Spam

Despite Yahoo's best efforts, spam can sneak through. There are a few things you can do to reduce the amount of spam you receive.

  • Don't reply to senders you don't know.
  • Don't freely give out your personal email.
  • Don't reply to spammy emails asking to be removed. That just tells the sender a real person opened the email. 
  • Use an email alias when online shopping, so you can easily identify retail spam when it arrives.