How to Move Email from Junk Folder to Inbox in Outlook

Step-by-step instructions for recovering legitimate emails from your Junk folder and preventing future false positives in Microsoft Outlook.

Email Management
KB-20251210-OUTLOOK-JUNKUpdated December 10, 20255 minutesNTS Support Team

Quick Answer

To move an email from Junk to Inbox in Outlook, open the Junk Email folder, select the message, choose Not junk or Mark as not junk, and confirm the sender should be trusted.

Outlook Junk Email Options

Outlook versionWhere to clickResult
Outlook for WindowsRight-click message → Junk → Not JunkMoves the email to Inbox and trusts the sender
Outlook on the WebToolbar → Not junkMoves the email to Inbox and updates sender trust
New Outlook for WindowsToolbar Not junk or Report → Not junkMoves the message and helps Outlook learn
Outlook for MacMessage → Junk → Mark as Not JunkMoves the email back to Inbox

How to Move Email from Junk Folder to Inbox in Outlook

Why Legitimate Emails End Up in Junk

Microsoft Outlook uses multiple layers of spam filtering including Exchange Online Protection, Safe Sender lists, and machine learning models to determine whether a message is junk.

Sometimes legitimate emails are incorrectly flagged due to missing email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), suspicious link patterns, or bulk-sender reputation issues.

Moving a message out of Junk and marking it as 'Not Junk' helps train the filter and improves accuracy for future messages from that sender.

Move Email from Junk in Outlook for Windows

1.Open Outlook and navigate to the Junk Email folder in your folder list on the left side.
2.Locate the email you want to recover and right-click on it.
3.Select 'Junk' from the context menu, then choose 'Not Junk' from the submenu.
4.Outlook will move the message to your Inbox and add the sender to your Safe Senders list.
5.Alternatively, you can simply drag and drop the email from the Junk folder directly into your Inbox folder.

Move Email from Junk in Outlook on the Web (OWA)

1.Sign in to Outlook on the web at https://outlook.office.com.
2.Click on the 'Junk Email' folder in the left navigation pane.
3.Select the email you want to move by clicking on it.
4.In the toolbar at the top, click 'Not junk' (or right-click the message and select 'Mark as not junk').
5.The message will be moved to your Inbox and the sender will be added to your Safe Senders list.
6.You can also drag the email from Junk Email and drop it into your Inbox folder.

Move Email from Junk in New Outlook for Windows

1.Open the new Outlook app and click on the 'Junk Email' folder.
2.Select the email you want to recover.
3.Click the 'Not junk' button in the toolbar, or right-click and select 'Report' → 'Not junk'.
4.The message moves to your Inbox and Outlook learns to trust this sender in the future.
5.For multiple emails, hold Ctrl and click each message to select them, then use 'Not junk' to move them all at once.

Move Email from Junk in Outlook for Mac

1.Open Outlook for Mac and select the 'Junk Email' folder from your folder list.
2.Find and select the email you want to move.
3.Right-click the message and choose 'Mark as Not Junk', or go to Message → Junk → Mark as Not Junk in the menu bar.
4.The email will be moved to your Inbox.
5.You can also drag the message from Junk Email directly to your Inbox folder.

Prevent Future False Positives

Add trusted senders to your Safe Senders list: In Outlook settings, go to Mail → Junk email → Safe senders and domains, then add the email address or domain.

If you are an administrator, consider creating a mail flow rule in Exchange Admin Center to bypass spam filtering for specific trusted senders or domains.

Ask the sender to verify their email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is properly configured, as missing authentication is a common cause of junk folder placement.

If emails from a particular sender consistently go to Junk, contact NTS support and we can investigate the sender's reputation and authentication status.

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