Spam FAQ
Common questions about spam, email filtering, and domain authentication.
Incoming spam
Does Missive filter spam?
No. Missive does not perform any spam filtering. All spam filtering happens at your email server level, before emails ever reach Missive.
This is by design -- your spam filter works regardless of what email app or device you use, so you get consistent filtering everywhere.
The trade-off is that filtering quality varies by provider. Gmail and Office 365 have highly sophisticated spam filters. Generic IMAP servers tend to have much weaker filtering. If spam is a persistent problem on a generic IMAP server, switching to Google Workspace or an established provider like Fastmail would give you significantly better filtering.
Legitimate emails are being marked as spam -- what can I do?
Missive does not control spam filtering -- that happens on your email server. When you click Mark as not spam in Missive, it moves the email out of your Spam folder so your server can hopefully learn from it, but this does not always work on generic IMAP servers.
If your server is too aggressive and keeps flagging legitimate emails, you have a few options:
Disable spam filtering on your server. This is usually doable through your provider's webmail interface or admin settings.
Create a rule in Missive to automatically mark emails as not spam. For example: condition is From - is a past recipient, action is Mark as not spam. This ensures emails from people you've corresponded with never get buried in spam.
Notify the sender. Sometimes the issue is on the sender's end -- their email server is misconfigured and their emails get flagged as spam by many recipients, not just you.
Legitimate emails are being marked as spam (Office 365)
Missive does not perform any spam filtering. The filtering happens on your Office 365 server before emails reach Missive.
When you click Mark as not spam in Missive, it moves the email out of your Spam folder so Office 365 can hopefully learn from it -- but sometimes it does not stick, and adding the sender as a contact is not enough either.
The most reliable fix is to add the sender to your Safe Senders list via the Outlook web interface. Emails from safe senders bypass the spam filter entirely.
If a sender's emails keep getting flagged as spam, the issue is often on their end -- a misconfigured mail server that triggers spam filters for many recipients. Letting the sender know can help them fix the root cause.
Legitimate emails are being marked as spam (Gmail)
Missive does not perform any spam filtering. The filtering happens on Gmail before emails reach Missive.
When you click Mark as not spam in Missive, it moves the email out of your Spam folder so Gmail can hopefully learn from it -- but sometimes it does not stick.
The most reliable fix is to create a Gmail filter for the sender's address or domain that applies Never send it to Spam. You can set this up in Gmail's filter settings.
If a sender's emails consistently land in spam, the issue is often on their end -- a misconfigured mail server that triggers spam filters broadly, not just for you. Letting the sender know can help them fix the root cause.
Why are my emails going to Gmail spam folders?
Missive cannot see why Gmail marks emails as spam. This information is not available to third-party apps.
To find out why, you need to check directly on Gmail.com:
Open the spam folder on Gmail.comGo to Gmail.com (not Missive) and open the Spam folder.Open the email and look for the noticeOpen the email in question and look for the grey or red notice at the top.Important: Check this before anyone clicks "Mark as Not Spam" anywhere (Missive, Gmail, etc.). Marking it as not spam removes the diagnostic notice.Review the reasonThe notice explains why Gmail classified the email as spam. Common reasons include:Domain authentication failures (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)Content pattern matchesUser reports from similar emailsSending patterns
For general deliverability troubleshooting, see Email deliverability.
Gmail says it couldn't verify my domain - what does this mean?
If recipients see "Gmail couldn't verify that [domain.com] actually sent this message" when they receive your emails, your domain is missing an SPF record.
Fix this:
Check if your domain has an SPF recordUse an SPF lookup tool to check if your domain has an SPF record.If no SPF record exists, continue to the next step.Add an SPF record to your domain's DNSAdd this TXT record to your domain's DNS:v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~allHow to add the record:Log in to your domain registrar or DNS hosting provider (GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Namecheap, etc.)Find the DNS management sectionAdd a new TXT record with the SPF value aboveSave the changesDNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate, though it usually happens faster.Configure DKIM and DMARC for even better resultsSee Google's help documentation on email authentication for detailed instructions on setting up DKIM and DMARC.
For more information on email authentication, see Email deliverability.
Outgoing spam
Why are emails I send from Missive landing in recipients' spam folders?
There is no single answer -- spam filters consider dozens of signals, and Missive has no visibility into why a specific recipient's server flagged your email.
Common causes include:
Email authentication issues -- missing or misconfigured SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records on your domain
Email content -- certain phrases, formatting, or attachments that trigger spam filters
SMTP configuration issues -- problems with your sending server's reputation
The best way to diagnose this is to use an email deliverability testing tool. These services give you a test email address to send to, then analyze your email and report on anything that could hurt your deliverability -- authentication, content, sending infrastructure, and more.
For more on email authentication setup, see Email deliverability.
My signature has a large image -- could that be causing spam issues?
Yes. A signature image that is visually small but has a large file size can trigger spam filters. Spam filters look at the raw file size, not how it appears on screen.
To fix this, scale the image down using a desktop or online image editor to reduce its actual file size, then replace the image in your signature. Aim for the smallest file size that still looks good at the size it will be displayed.
Managing spam
How can I access my Spam folder in Missive?
To view emails marked as spam:
Click + Pin to sidebar in the left sidebar
Select Main Section
Click Spam to pin it to your sidebar
You can then click the Spam mailbox to view all spam emails.
If you're looking for a "Junk" folder, Missive calls it Spam.
How can I empty the Spam folder?
Missive lets you select up to 100 conversations at a time. If you have more than that in your Spam folder, you cannot empty it all at once from within Missive. For a bulk cleanup, clear the folder directly from your email provider's web interface (Gmail.com, Outlook.com, etc.).
What happens to blocked senders when an organization member is removed?
When you remove a member from your organization, their blocked senders are preserved at the organization level -- as long as those senders were blocked in the context of conversations linked to the organization (e.g., emails sent to a shared account).
The blocked senders remain in effect for the organization even after the member is gone.
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