Spam E-mails are Not Blocked by Bitdefender Antispam

Spam refers to unsolicited or unwanted emails. It remains a widespread issue for both individuals and organizations because spam can contain inappropriate content, phishing attempts, scams, or unwanted advertisements. While it is impossible to prevent spammers from sending messages entirely, Bitdefender Antispam helps reduce the amount of spam that reaches your inbox.

This article explains how to troubleshoot the following Bitdefender Antispam issues:

A large amount of spam still reaches your inbox.
Spam emails are not tagged as [spam].
The Antispam filter does not detect any spam emails.

If spam emails continue to appear in your inbox after enabling the Bitdefender Antispam feature, follow the recommendations below to improve filtering efficiency.

Many Spam Emails Are Not Blocked

If you receive many spam emails that are not tagged as [spam], you can improve detection accuracy by training and configuring the Bitdefender Antispam filter.

1. Report undetected spam

If you use a supported email app, you can manually identify messages that should have been detected as spam. This helps Bitdefender improve future spam detection.

ⓘ The Bitdefender Antispam toolbar works only with the following email clients configured to use the POP3/SMTP protocol:

Microsoft Outlook 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2021

Mozilla Thunderbird 14 or later

Bitdefender does not provide Antispam protection for web-based email services accessed through a browser.

To report spam emails, follow these steps:

Open your email app (Outlook or Thunderbird).
Go to the Inbox folder.
Select the spam email that was not detected.
Click the Is Spam button on the Antispam toolbar located at the top of the email application.

The selected email is immediately marked as [spam] and moved to the Junk Mail folder.

2. Block spammers

Messages received from addresses added to the Spammers list are automatically marked as spam. If you are using Outlook or Thunderbird, follow these steps to add the senders of the spam emails to your Spammers list.

Add spammers from your email app

Open your email app.
Go to the Junk mail folder where spam messages are moved.
Select messages already marked as [spam] by Bitdefender.
Click the Add Spammer button on the Bitdefender antispam toolbar.
If prompted, confirm the addresses added to the Spammers list.
Optionally select Don’t show this message again, then click OK.

Add spammers manually from Bitdefender

Alternatively, you can manually add spammers to the Spammers list directly from the Bitdefender interface. This method is most useful when you have received multiple spam messages from the same email address. Follow these steps:

Open the Bitdefender interface and click Protection on the left-side navigation menu.
In the Antispam pane, click Settings.
Go to the Manage Spammers window.
Enter the spammer’s email address, then click Add.
Repeat for any additional emails you want to block.
Click OK to save the changes.

Antispam Filter Does Not Block Any Spam Emails

If no email messages are marked as [spam], there may be a problem with the Bitdefender Antispam filter configuration or compatibility. Before troubleshooting further, verify the following:

Make Sure Antispam Protection Is Enabled

Open the Bitdefender interface.
Click Protection in the left-side navigation menu.
Go to the Antispam pane and make sure Antispam is turned on.
If the Antispam feature is disabled, enable it using the corresponding switch.

Make Sure Your Email App Is Supported

Bitdefender Antispam protection works only with the following: email applications

Microsoft Outlook
Mozilla Thunderbird

In addition, the mailbox must be configured to receive email using the POP3 protocol.

The Antispam filter scans only POP3 traffic on the following ports:

995 (SSL/TLS)
110 (non-SSL)

Important: Emails accessed through webmail services such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook.com/Hotmail, or similar browser-based platforms are not scanned for spam by Bitdefender Antispam.

Check the Email Protocol Configuration

If your email app uses a protocol other than POP3 (for example, IMAP4), Bitdefender Antispam cannot scan incoming messages for spam.

POP3 is a common protocol used to download emails from a mail server to your computer. If you are unsure which protocol your email client uses, contact the person who configured your email account or check your mail client settings.

Reinstall Bitdefender

If Antispam still does not work correctly after verifying the settings above, reinstalling Bitdefender may resolve the issue.

For detailed instructions, see – How to Reinstall Bitdefender When it’s Not Working on Windows