Phish message
An email that doesn’t need to be quarantined

Now we have tightened our email security, you may find you are getting more notifications from Microsoft that an email is in Quarantine, and you need to review it. 

An email is sent to Quarantine when the email or its content is flagged to be potentially harmful to the intended recipient, whether it’s a phishing attempt or a spam or spoof email. The offending email is held in Quarantine for review by the recipient or an administrator and then either blocked or released to the user’s inbox.

Why are my emails there?

Microsoft notice of an email in quarantine
An email that is definitely spam

Some of the reasons an email might end up in Quarantine rather than sent to Junk Email folder include:

  • If the message is identified as phishing
  • If the message is identified as from a known spamming domain
  • If a message is detected as user impersonation
  • If a message is detected as domain impersonation

Sometimes genuine emails end up in Quarantine, so you are able to review and release them if appropriate. 

How to I get an email out of Quarantine?

In the majority of cases, you are able to review and release your own emails from Quarantine. You have 15 days to block or release the email. 

You can either click the link in the email, or go direct to your Quarantine. For step by step instructions and more details please read KI 0487 Email: Using the Office 365 Quarantine.

If you need help, please contact the IT Service Desk.

Important: Stay aware of phishing!

Before you open an email message, you should always check for hints that it might not be genuine:

  • Is the email unexpected? 
  • You didn’t initiate the action you are being asked to do
  • Is it the offer too good to be true?
  • The email address looks suspicious or wrong
  • There are spelling mistakes and poor grammar
  • You’re being asked to do something urgently
  • The email contains a link, especially a handy link to login to your account
  • You need to confirm or supply personal information

More information please see our Phishing webpage.

Further information and contact

We have several Knowledge Base articles about this topic:

If you have any questions or need any advice, please contact the IT Service Desk.

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