How to use Mac OS X Mail (10.4) with GUMail: Using the Junk Filter

In addition to the spam filtering and identification provided by GUMail, you can use the built-in rule that will help filter out junk mail in Mac Mail. This filter can help catch messages that make it through the GUMail filters.

The rule will look for messages that appear to be junk mail. When it finds one, it will change the color of the message to brown. You will then "train" the junk mail rule by telling it whether or not the flagged message is really junk.

The more you train the junk mail rule, the better it will get at detecting the junk mail that gets through to your inbox. When it is "well trained", you can set it to automatically move junk mail to a special junk folder.

 

1. Ensure you set up rules to filter spam identified by GUMail according to the instructions in How to Use Mac Mail (OS X 10.4) with GUMail: Setting Up Spam Filters.
   
   
2. Make sure the junk mail rule is active by doing the following:
   1. Click on the Mail menu.
   2. Select "Preferences..."
   3. Click on the "Junk Mail" button.
   4. In the section marked "When junk mail arrives," select the radio button next to "Leave it in my Inbox, but indicate it is junk mail (Training)."
   
   
3. When the junk mail rule thinks that a message is junk, it will change the color of the message to brown.
   
   
4. If the junk mail rule is wrong (and the message is not really junk mail), click on the message to highlight it. Then click on the "Not Junk" icon.
   
   
5. If you get a message that is junk, but the rule has not noticed it (has not changed the color), click on the message. Then click on the "Junk" icon.
   
   
6. When the junk mail rule is consistently identifying junk mail correctly, switch it to automatic mode:
   1. Click on the Mail menu.
   2. Select "Preferences..."
   3. Click on the "Junk Mail" button.
   4. In the section marked "When junk mail arrives," select the radio button next to "Move to the Junk mailbox (Automatic)."