How to Manage Your Microsoft 365 Email Quarantine

Microsoft 365 includes built-in protection against spam, phishing, and malware. Emails flagged as suspicious are placed in quarantine instead of your inbox. Managing quarantine helps you recover legitimate messages and report malicious ones.

Step 1: Access Your Quarantine

1. Go to the Microsoft 365 Security & Compliance Quarantine page:

   • https://security.microsoft.com/quarantine

2. Sign in with your Microsoft 365 credentials.

You may also receive a quarantine notification email from Microsoft that includes a link to review your quarantined messages.

Step 2: Review Quarantined Messages

Once logged in, you will see a list of messages in quarantine. Each message shows:

• Sender

• Subject

• Date received

• Reason for quarantine (e.g., spam, phishing, malware)

Tip: Messages are usually kept in quarantine for 30 days before being automatically deleted. Review regularly to avoid losing legitimate emails.

Step 3: Decide What to Do With Each Message

For each email, you typically have several options:

1. Release to Inbox

   • If the message is legitimate, click Release message.

   • The email will be delivered to your inbox.

   • You may be prompted to confirm the release.

2. Report as Not Junk or Report as Phish

   • If an email is safe but was flagged incorrectly, use Report as not junk.

   • If an email is suspicious, you can report it as phishing using Report message.

3. Block Sender or Domain

   • For repeated spam or malicious emails, you can add the sender to your blocked senders list.

Step 4: Filter and Search Quarantined Messages

To quickly find a message:

• Use the search bar at the top of the quarantine page.

• Filter by Date, Sender, or Reason.

• This is especially helpful if you receive many quarantined messages.

Step 5: Configure Quarantine Notifications (Optional)

Microsoft 365 can automatically send daily quarantine reports to your inbox:

1. Go to Settings → Email & notifications → Quarantine notifications.

2. Enable notifications for daily summaries of quarantined emails.

3. This allows you to manage messages without visiting the quarantine portal frequently.

Step 6: Stay Safe

• Do not release suspicious emails unless you are sure they are legitimate.

• Avoid clicking links or downloading attachments from emails you are unsure about.

• Regularly check quarantine to prevent missing important messages.

Quick Tips

• Emails are automatically deleted after 30 days in quarantine.

• Legitimate messages can be whitelisted by adding the sender to your safe senders list.

• Microsoft 365 admins can configure quarantine policies that control what gets flagged.

Conclusion

Managing your Microsoft 365 quarantine helps balance security and accessibility. By regularly reviewing quarantined messages, releasing legitimate emails, and reporting suspicious ones, you protect your inbox and your organization from spam, phishing, and malware attacks. Staying proactive ensures you don’t miss important communications while keeping your account secure.