How to Apply Spam Filters to All Email Accounts (Account Level Filtering)
Account Level Filtering allows you to set up rules that apply to every email account associated with your domain. This is an excellent way to broadly manage spam or automatically organize incoming messages.
Step 1: Accessing the Global Filter Tool
- Log in to your cPanel interface.
- Navigate to the Mail section and click on the Account Level Filtering link.
Step 2: Starting a New Filter
- Click on the Create a new filter button to open the filter configuration screen.
Step 3: Defining the Filter Rules and Action
- Give your filter a descriptive name (e.g., Block Free Money).
- Create the rules for the new spam filter. For example, to block emails, you would set the following criteria:
Filter Criteria Example:
Select Subject in the first dropdown box.
Select contains in the second dropdown box.
Enter the text you want to block (e.g., Free Money) in the text field.
Select the desired action, such as Discard Message, to delete the email immediately.
Step 4: Activating the Filter
- Click the Activate button to apply the spam filter. The filter will now be active for all email accounts on the domain.
Troubleshooting and Expert Advice
Troubleshooting Common Issues
- **Filter Not Working**: Ensure you have selected the correct scope. Account Level Filtering applies to the entire domain, not individual email addresses. If you intended to filter only one address, use the Email Filters tool, not this Account Level Filter.
- **Legitimate Email Blocked (False Positive)**: If a wanted email is blocked, check your filter rule's text. Avoid overly broad words. For instance, using just "money" is likely to block legitimate financial statements. Try making the rule more specific, such as including specific phrases or sender addresses.
- **Processing Order**: Filters are typically processed in the order they are listed. If a filter higher up the list processes a message, subsequent filters may not run. Use the editing tools to reorder your filters if necessary.
Pro Tip: Filter Management
- **Testing Filters**: Instead of choosing Discard Message immediately, first set the action to Redirect to Email and send the message to a dedicated testing mailbox. This allows you to confirm the filter catches only the intended messages before you start deleting emails permanently.
- **Using Multiple Rules**: You can combine multiple conditions using AND or OR operators. Use AND if you need two conditions to be met (e.g., Subject contains "Invoice" AND From contains "scammer.net"). Use OR if meeting either condition is enough to trigger the action.
