What SmarterMail Users See

If your mail server uses SmarterMail with SpamFoo turned on, SpamFoo works inside SmarterMail webmail. This page shows what you'll see and what you can do. Some of these features appear only if your administrator has turned them on.

Turn On Email Classifications

Email Classifications sort your Inbox into four groups so the mail that matters is easy to find. Your administrator decides how they are turned on:

  • Already on: Your administrator turned them on for everyone. You don't need to do anything.
  • Offered to you: When you sign in, SmarterMail asks whether you want to use Email Classifications. Click Enable Now to turn them on, or Later to skip.

If you were offered Email Classifications, you can change your answer at any time:

  1. Go to Settings > Account.
  2. In the Webmail card, turn Classify My Inbox on or off.
  3. Click Save.

After you turn them on, SmarterMail sorts the messages already in your Inbox. This can take a while for a large Inbox. The Classifications appear in webmail when it's done. New mail is sorted as it arrives.

Find Your Classifications

In Email, the Classifications are listed above your folders. Each one shows how many messages it holds. Click a Classification to see only those Inbox messages.

Classification What Goes There
Primary Important mail you should see first, such as messages from real people, sign-in codes, and urgent account alerts.
Transactions Receipts, orders, shipping notices, and delivery confirmations.
Updates News, newsletters, community and forum digests, and social media alerts.
Promotions Coupons, sales, and other offers from companies.

SpamFoo picks a classification for each message, not for each sender. One company can send many kinds of mail. For example, Amazon might send you:

  • A sign-in code (Primary)
  • A receipt (Transactions)
  • An AWS service notice (Updates)
  • A sale announcement (Promotions)

SpamFoo looks at what the message says along with who sent it, so each one can get a different classification.

  • Classifications apply only to your Inbox. Other folders are not sorted.
  • To hide or show the Classifications, click the sparkle icon at the top of the folder list. Its tooltip says Show email classifications.
  • For a quick reminder of what each one means, click the Actions menu (three dots) at the top of the folder list and choose About Classifications.

For more detail and examples, see The Four Email Classifications.

Move a Message to a Different Classification

If a message landed in the wrong Classification, move it. SpamFoo remembers your choice and uses it for similar messages you get later.

  1. Right-click the message in your Inbox.
  2. Point to Modify Classification.
  3. Click the Classification you want.

You can also:

  • Drag the message onto a Classification name above your folders. If you drag it from another folder, it moves to your Inbox too.
  • Open the message, click Mark, and choose Modify Classification.

See Correct a Wrong Result for more help.

Report Spam or Not Spam

Reporting tells SpamFoo it got a message wrong. When your administrator allows it, SpamFoo learns from your reports for your own mailbox.

  1. Right-click the message.
  2. Point to Report.
  3. Click Spam or Not Spam.

Report doesn't move the message. It only sends the report. You can report messages in any folder except Drafts, Sent Items, and Scheduled.

You can also report a message these ways:

  • In an open message, click Mark and choose Report.
  • In the right-click menu, choose Move to Junk or Move to Inbox.
  • Move the message from your Inbox to your Junk Email folder to report spam, or from Junk Email back to your Inbox to report not spam. This works in any mail app connected to your mailbox, such as Outlook or a phone app.

SmarterMail waits at least two minutes before it sends a report made by moving a message. If you move the message back before then, nothing is reported.

See Correct a Wrong Result for more help.

Choose Whether to Share Your Corrections

The first time you report a message or change its Classification, SmarterMail may ask Share Your Corrections. This only happens if your administrator allows sharing.

  • Yes: Along with your correction, SpamFoo may receive a copy of the message text with personal details removed. Email addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, IP addresses, and common names are taken out before anything is sent. Unusual details, such as a name SpamFoo doesn't recognize, may still get through. This helps SpamFoo improve results for everyone.
  • No: The message text is not shared. Your corrections still teach SpamFoo about your own mailbox.

To change your answer later:

  1. Go to Settings > Account.
  2. In the Webmail card, turn Send classification and spam correction details to SpamFoo on or off.
  3. Click Save.

If the switch is grayed out, your administrator has turned off sharing for the whole server.

Open Your SpamFoo Dashboard

Your SpamFoo dashboard shows how SpamFoo has handled your mail.

  1. Go to Email.
  2. Click the Actions menu (three dots) at the top of the folder list.
  3. Click SpamFoo Dashboard.

The dashboard opens in a new window. If the window says the dashboard is starting up, wait a moment. The page refreshes on its own. To learn your way around, see Open Your Dashboard and Read Your Overview.