Spam filters help reduce unwanted email by automatically identifying and filtering suspicious messages before they reach your inbox.
This guide explains how to manage your spam filtering settings in DirectAdmin.
What Are Spam Filters?
Spam filters analyse incoming email and help identify:
- Junk mail
- Phishing emails
- Marketing spam
- Suspicious messages
- Malicious attachments
The filtering system assigns a score to incoming messages and determines whether they should be delivered normally or treated as spam.
Before You Start
Before adjusting spam settings, make sure:
- You can log into DirectAdmin
- Your email account is active
- You understand that aggressive spam filtering may occasionally block legitimate email
If you have not logged in yet, please see:
- How to Log Into DirectAdmin
How to Access Spam Filters
Step 1 — Log Into DirectAdmin
Open your browser and visit: https://cp.yourdomain.co.za (replace yourdoman.co.za with your own domain name)
Enter your hosting username and password.
Step 2 — Open Spam Filters
From the DirectAdmin dashboard:
Click: E-Mail Manager
Then click: Spam Filters.
Understanding Spam Filtering
The spam filter examines various factors including:
- Sender reputation
- Message content
- Email headers
- Blacklists
- Authentication records
Messages that exceed the configured threshold may be marked as spam.
Common Spam Filter Actions
Depending on your configuration, spam messages may:
- Be delivered normally
- Be marked as spam
- Be moved to a spam folder
- Be discarded
You can filter by email address, domain, stop word or size. Note: do not use generic words as a stop word, if this word is matched it will drop legal mails as well, make sure the phrase is specific to the spam mails yu receive, ie dont use words like "nedbank" or "fnb" this could lead to all mails being dropped. Best is to set the action to deliver to spambox and monitor the mails for a week or so before making it drop emails.
Select the action to apply to mails that match your filters. Drop mail or Send to spambox (remember this option will put the emails in the online mailbox and the mailbox will fill slowly, check the webmail mailbox and delete the emails regularly. Alternatively select drop mail.)
Recommended Settings
For most users, the default spam filtering settings work well and do not require adjustment.
If you receive excessive spam:
- Review your spam settings
- Use whitelisting for trusted senders
- Use blacklisting for persistent spam senders
Important Notes
Spam Filtering Is Not Perfect
No spam filtering system can guarantee 100% accuracy.
Occasionally:
- legitimate email may be flagged as spam
- spam messages may still reach your inbox
Check Your Spam Folder Regularly
Important emails may occasionally be marked as spam.
We recommend reviewing your spam folder periodically.
Email Authentication Helps
Correctly configured:
- SPF
- DKIM
- DMARC
records can improve email delivery and spam detection.
Troubleshooting
Receiving Too Much Spam
Check:
- spam filter settings
- mailbox exposure online
- website contact forms
- email address usage
Legitimate Email Marked as Spam
Consider:
- adding the sender to your whitelist
- reviewing spam filter settings
- checking email authentication records
Missing Expected Email
Check:
- Email Accounts > Email tracking
- Spam folder
- Junk folder
- Mail filters
- Forwarding rules
before assuming the message was not delivered.
Spam Filter Settings Missing
Some hosting packages or DirectAdmin versions may display different spam management options.
Helpful Tips
Use Unique Email Addresses
Avoid publishing important email addresses openly on websites where possible.
Keep Email Software Updated
Modern email clients often include additional spam filtering capabilities.
Combine Spam Filtering With Good Security
Use:
- strong passwords
- SPF records
- DKIM records
- malware protection
for best results.
Security Tips
- Never open suspicious attachments
- Avoid clicking unknown links
- Use strong passwords
- Enable email authentication records
- Monitor spam folders regularly
