How to Manage Spam Filters with SpamAssassin Print

Introduction

SpamAssassin is a powerful spam filtering tool built into cPanel that automatically scores incoming emails and marks suspected spam. This guide explains how to enable, configure, and fine-tune SpamAssassin to keep your inbox clean.

Enabling SpamAssassin

1. Log into cPanel
2. Go to Email > Spam Filters
3. Toggle Process New Emails and Mark them as Spam to ON
4. Optionally enable Automatically Delete New Spam (Auto-Delete) — this will delete emails that score above the threshold without delivering them

Important: Be cautious with Auto-Delete. We recommend leaving it off initially and reviewing your spam folder regularly to ensure legitimate emails aren't being caught.

Understanding Spam Scores

SpamAssassin assigns a numerical score to every incoming email. The higher the score, the more likely the email is spam. The default threshold is 5, meaning any email scoring 5 or above is flagged as spam.

You can adjust this threshold:

1. In the Spam Filters page, click Spam Threshold Score
2. Choose a score from the dropdown — lower numbers are more aggressive (catch more spam but risk false positives), higher numbers are more lenient

Recommended settings:

• Score 5 (default) — good balance for most users
• Score 4 — slightly more aggressive, catches more spam
• Score 8-10 — very lenient, only catches obvious spam

Whitelisting Trusted Senders

If legitimate emails are being marked as spam, you can whitelist specific senders or domains:

1. In cPanel, go to Email > Spam Filters
2. Click Show Additional Configurations (if available)
3. Add email addresses or domains to the whitelist

Alternatively, you can set up email filters in cPanel (Email > Email Filters) to automatically move emails from trusted senders to your inbox.

Blacklisting Senders

To block specific senders or domains that regularly send spam:

1. Go to Email > Spam Filters
2. Add the email address or domain to the blacklist

You can also create email filters to automatically delete or redirect emails from specific addresses.

Checking Your Spam Folder

Emails flagged by SpamAssassin are typically moved to a spam or junk folder in your email account. You should:

• Check your spam folder regularly for false positives (legitimate emails incorrectly flagged)
• Mark false positives as "Not Spam" in your email client to help improve filtering
• Empty your spam folder periodically to free up disk space

Tips for Reducing Spam

• Never reply to spam emails — this confirms your address is active
• Avoid publishing your email address on public websites
• Use a contact form on your website instead of displaying your email
• Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to improve email authentication (see our guide: How to Set Up DKIM, SPF and DMARC Records)

If you need help configuring your spam filters, please open a support ticket.