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General discussion

Can't mark junk mail as "not junk"

Oct 15, 2010 4:34AM PDT

I'm using Snow Leopard on a year-old MacBookPro. I keep all my programs rountinely updated. I've searched Help, the Apple site, and this site's archives without success.

I want to mark an item in junk mail as non-junk. I can't click the non-junk button because it isn't there. In other words, the button at the top of the junk mail list stays as "Junk". Trying Messages>Mark doesn't work either: there is no choice for "not junk", the only choice is "Junk". How can I fix this?

Discussion is locked

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(NT) This happens when you click on the email you want to change?
Oct 15, 2010 11:55PM PDT
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can't mark junk mail
Oct 18, 2010 4:57AM PDT

In a list of messages, if I click on one wanting to dump it, the name is highlighted in blue but nothing else happens. The junk button is the same before and after I click on it.

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Unjunking mail message
Mar 7, 2011 4:43AM PST

The message probably satisfies the criteria you have set in Mail Preferences for Junk mail.

Have you tried selecting the message and dragging it into your Inbox or another Mail folder?

regards,
centurion48

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just add the sender to your address book and
Mar 6, 2011 9:09PM PST

it won't be junk anymore

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Same problem here.
Mar 30, 2013 8:52AM PDT

I also have this issue.

Basically, I find:

a) Messages in my "spam" folder have no way to mark them as not spam, except to go back to GMail on the web an there delete the spam tag.

b) I have no "Junk" mail folder, yet if I mark a message as Junk, it is then removed from my inbox folder to a Junk folder only visible on Gmail on the web site.

This is very frustrating because the "Help" is no help.

I'm using Mail on Mountain Lion.

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I wonder if this is a problem with the way that Gmail
Mar 30, 2013 11:37PM PDT

is set up on your computer.

Are you using IMAP or POP3?

I'm using POP3 for Gmail and I have a Junk Mail folder on my system

P

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Mark mail as not junk
Mar 19, 2014 12:25AM PDT

When in the Junk Folder the meaning of 'Mark as Junk' and the 'Thumbs Down' button changes to mean not junk. Sort of like a double negative making a positive. So in the Junk Folder select 'Thumbs Down' or 'Mark as Junk' to mark as not junk.

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Mark Mac Mail in Junk folder as 'not junk'
Oct 18, 2015 12:39PM PDT

I managed it in 2 steps, using another of my email addresses.

Forward the message to your alternative email address, then forward again to your Mac Mail address. It should arrive in your In box.

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Just move it to the in box
Oct 18, 2015 1:24PM PDT

and mail will learn that it is not junk

I note that some posters are using Gmail which has its own spam/junk filters and which the users have probably told Apple Mail to "Trust Junk Mail Headers" in Mail Preferences > Junk Mail

P