How to Mark Mail as Spam in iOS Mail

This article explains how to mark an email message as spam in the iPhone Mail app and move it to the Junk folder.

Mark Emails as Junk on an iPhone

There are a few ways to move an email to the Junk folder on your phone. The method you choose depends on where you are in the Mail app or how many emails you want to send to spam at one time.

Mark Emails from an Open Email

In an open email message, choose the Folder icon, then choose Junk. The message moves to the Junk folder.

Mark Several Emails from Inbox or Folder

In the list of emails, tap Edit, select the emails to mark as spam, then choose either Mark > Move to Junk or Move > Junk.

Mark Individual Messages from Inbox or Folder

In the list of emails, swipe left on the junk email, then tap either More > Mark > Move to Junk or More > Move Message > Junk.

What Happens When an Email Is Moved to Spam

iOS Mail can only move a spam email to the Junk folder if it knows about the spam folder for the email account. If the Junk folder doesn't exist on the email server, Mail creates it. The Mail app can identify the spam folder from email services such as iCloud Mail, Gmail, Outlook Mail, Yahoo Mail, AOL, Zoho Mail, and Yandex Mail.

The effect of moving messages from the Inbox folder (or another location) to the Junk folder depends on how the email service interprets the action. Most email services treat messages that are moved to the Junk folder as a signal to update their spam filter to identify similar messages in the future.