How to Setup Spam Control in Plesk Panel for Users

Plesk, much like cPanel, is a widely offered control panel across various web hosting types, though it holds a particular prominence in certain environments. You will commonly find Plesk bundled with shared hosting plans, providing an intuitive interface for individual website management. It is also a popular choice for Virtual Private Servers (VPS) and dedicated servers, especially for those who prefer or require a Windows-based server environment, as Plesk has robust native support for Windows Server operating systems, unlike cPanel which is primarily Linux-focused.

Additionally, reseller hosting packages often offer Plesk as an option, allowing providers to manage multiple client accounts effectively. Its versatility across both Linux and Windows platforms, coupled with its comprehensive features, makes Plesk a go-to control panel for diverse hosting needs.

Spam Control in Plesk

Plesk, particularly Plesk Obsidian, offers robust spam control features for users on shared hosting plans. These features primarily leverage SpamAssassin and provide options for both domain-wide and individual email account settings.

This guide focuses on the practical steps users can take within their Plesk panel to manage spam, adhering to the limitations typically found in shared hosting environments.

Important Note: The availability and specific configuration options for spam filtering might vary slightly depending on your hosting provider's setup and if they have installed any additional Plesk extensions for email security (e.g., Plesk Email Security, MagicSpam). However, the core SpamAssassin functionalities described here are generally available.

If you are looking for spam control in cPanel, please check our guide on How to Effectively Setup Spam Control in cPanel.

Understanding Key Spam Control Concepts in Plesk

Before diving into the setup, let us briefly understand some common terms you will encounter:

• SpamAssassin: This is the primary spam filtering engine in Plesk. It uses a scoring system to identify spam.

• Spam Filter Sensitivity (Spam Score Threshold): Messages are assigned a "score" based on various tests. If a message's score exceeds this threshold, it is classified as spam.

  • Lower score: More strict filtering (more emails caught as spam, potentially including legitimate ones).

  • Higher score: Less strict filtering (fewer emails caught as spam, but more may get through).

  • The default is often 7.

• Blacklist: A list of email addresses or domains from which you want to block mail, or have it heavily scored as spam.

• Whitelist: A list of email addresses or domains from which you always want to receive mail, bypassing spam filters.

• Action for Spam: What happens to emails identified as spam (e.g., mark subject, delete, move to Spam folder).

Setting Up Spam Control for All Emails of a Domain Simultaneously

As a user on a shared hosting plan, your control over "server-wide" spam settings for the entire server is usually limited to what your hosting provider allows. However, you can often configure settings that apply to all email accounts within your specific domain.

1. Log in to your Plesk Panel (e.g., https://your-domain.com:8443) with your credentials

2. Navigate to the Mail Section:

   • On the left-hand menu, click on Mail.

3. Access Mail Settings for Your Domain:

   • You should see a list of your domains. Click on the domain for which you want to configure spam settings.

   • Look for a tab or button related to Mail Settings or Change Settings for the domain.

4. Configure Spam Filter Settings:

   • Within the Mail Settings, you should find an option for Spam Filter or SpamAssassin.

   • "Switch on server-wide SpamAssassin spam filtering" (or similar): Ensure this checkbox is selected. This enables the basic SpamAssassin filtering for all mailboxes under your domain.

   • "Apply individual settings to spam filtering": It is highly recommended to enable this. This allows individual email account users to further customize their spam settings, even if a domain-wide setting is applied.

   • Spam Filter Sensitivity (Score): Adjust the "score that a message must receive to qualify as spam".

     • The default is typically 7.00. Experiment with lower values (e.g., 5.00) if you're receiving too much spam, or higher values (e.g., 9.00) if legitimate emails are being incorrectly marked as spam.

   • Action for Spam Messages:

     • "Mark spam messages by adding the following text to message subject": This is a common and often recommended option. It adds a prefix (e.g., *****SPAM*****) to the subject line, allowing you to easily identify and filter spam in your email client.

     • "Delete all spam messages": Use with caution. If the filter makes a mistake, a legitimate email could be permanently lost.

     • "Move spam to the Spam folder" (Linux only): This is often a good compromise, moving detected spam to a dedicated "Spam" folder in your webmail or email client. Remember to regularly check this folder for false positives.

   • Blacklist (for the domain):

     • You might find a Black List tab or section. Here, you can add email addresses or entire domain names from which you wish to block emails for all accounts under this domain.

     • Use formats like: spam@example.com, *@spammer.net (to block all emails from spammer.net).

   • Whitelist (for the domain):

     • Similarly, a White List tab or section allows you to add email addresses or domains that should always be allowed, bypassing spam checks.

     • Use formats like: important@trusted.com, *@partnercompany.org.

   • Click "OK" or "Apply" to save your changes.

Setting Up Spam Control for Individual Email Accounts

Even with domain-wide settings, individual email users can often fine-tune their spam control within their specific mailbox settings.

1. Log in to your Plesk Panel.

2. Navigate to the Mail Section:

   • On the left-hand menu, click on Mail.

3. Select the Email Address:

   • Under "Email Addresses," click on the specific email address you want to configure (e.g., yourname@yourdomain.com).

4. Go to the Spam Filter Tab:

   • Within the settings for that email address, you should see a Spam Filter tab.

   • Note: If you have an extension like "Plesk Email Security" installed by your host, the Spam Filter tab might be found under a "Settings" link next to the email address in the mail accounts overview.

5. Enable and Configure Individual Spam Filtering:

   • "Switch on spam filtering for this email address": Ensure this checkbox is selected. This enables individual spam filtering for this specific mailbox, potentially overriding some domain-wide settings (depending on your host's configuration).

   • Specify what to do with messages classified as spam: Choose your preferred action:

     • "Mark spam messages by adding the following text to message subject": Adds a prefix to the subject.

     • "Delete all spam messages": Deletes spam without recovery. Use with caution.

     • "Move spam to the Spam folder": Moves spam to a dedicated folder. This is generally recommended for review.

   • Show Advanced Settings (if available): Click this to reveal more options.

     • Spam filter sensitivity: Adjust the score threshold specifically for this email account. This can be more granular than the domain-wide setting.

     • White list: Add specific email addresses or domain names that should always be considered legitimate for this mailbox.

     • Black list: Add specific email addresses or domain names that should always be considered spam for this mailbox.

     • Trusted languages/character sets (Windows-based hosting): If applicable, you can specify languages/character sets that should bypass spam filtering.

   • Click "OK" or "Apply" to save your changes.

Best Practices for Effective Spam Control

• Start with default sensitivity: Begin with the default spam filter sensitivity (often 7) and monitor your inbox and spam folder.

• Adjust gradually: If you're getting too much spam, decrease the sensitivity by one point at a time (e.g., from 7 to 6). If legitimate emails are being marked as spam, increase it by one point (e.g., from 7 to 8). Wait a few days after each adjustment to assess the impact.

• Utilize Blacklists and Whitelists: These are powerful tools for managing specific senders.

  • Blacklist known spammers: If you repeatedly receive spam from a particular address or domain, add it to your blacklist.

  • Whitelist important contacts: Add important contacts, clients, or services to your whitelist to ensure their emails always reach your inbox.

• Regularly check your "Spam" folder: If you've chosen to move spam to a folder, make it a habit to review its contents. You might find legitimate emails that were incorrectly classified as spam. Move them to your inbox to help train the filter.

• Avoid "Delete all spam messages" initially: Especially when you're first setting up and refining your spam filter, opting to delete all spam can lead to lost legitimate emails. Marking the subject or moving to a spam folder is safer.

• Understand Shared Hosting Limitations: While Plesk offers good user-level control, some advanced server-level spam tools (like certain DNS Blackhole Lists or DMARC configurations) are typically managed by your hosting provider and not directly accessible to you as a shared hosting user.

By following these steps, you can effectively set up and manage spam control within your Plesk panel for a cleaner and more secure email experience.