How to Enable Auto-Deletion of Spam Emails

Ecenica Spam Filter can automatically delete emails with very high spam scores while moving less suspicious emails to your spam folder. This guide shows you how to enable and configure auto-deletion.

How Ecenica Spam Filter Works

Ecenica Spam Filter uses two methods to handle spam:

Spam Box (Always Active)

• Moves suspected spam to your email account’s spam folder
• Allows you to review and recover legitimate emails
• Handles emails below the Auto-Delete threshold

Auto-Delete (Optional)

• Permanently deletes emails with very high spam scores
• Works alongside Spam Box
• Only affects emails that meet or exceed your Auto-Delete threshold
• Cannot be recovered once deleted

Both methods work together: Emails with lower spam scores go to your spam folder, while emails with very high scores are automatically deleted.

Before You Enable Auto-Delete

Important: Auto-Delete permanently removes emails that meet or exceed the spam threshold score. Once deleted, these emails cannot be recovered.

Should I Enable Auto-Delete?

Enable Auto-Delete if:

• You receive overwhelming amounts of obvious spam
• You’re confident you won’t miss important emails
• You want to reduce spam folder clutter

Keep Auto-Delete disabled if:

• You want to review all filtered emails
• You’re concerned about missing legitimate emails
• You prefer manually managing spam

Steps to Enable Auto-Delete

1. Log in to your Ecenica Dashboard
2. Click Manage next to your Ecenica hosting service
3. Click Spam Filter
4. Under Automatically Delete New Spam (Auto-Delete), toggle the setting to Enable
5. Click Configure Auto-Delete Settings
6. Set the Auto-Delete Threshold score
   • We recommend 11 or higher
   • Higher numbers = fewer emails deleted (only clear spam)
   • Lower numbers = more emails deleted (risk of deleting legitimate mail)
7. Click Save

Auto-Delete is now enabled. Emails with scores at or above your threshold will be permanently deleted. Emails with lower scores will still be moved to your spam folder.

Understanding Spam Scores

Every email receives a spam score based on various factors:

• 0-4: Probably legitimate email (delivered to inbox)
• 5-7: Possibly spam (moved to spam folder)
• 8-10: Likely spam (moved to spam folder)
• 11+: Almost certainly spam (auto-deleted if enabled, otherwise moved to spam folder)

Recommended threshold: Set to 11 or higher to avoid accidentally deleting legitimate emails.

How Auto-Delete and Spam Box Work Together

Example with Auto-Delete threshold set to 11:

• Email with spam score 3 → Delivered to inbox
• Email with spam score 6 → Moved to spam folder (can review and recover)
• Email with spam score 9 → Moved to spam folder (can review and recover)
• Email with spam score 12 → Permanently deleted (cannot recover)

This ensures only emails with very high spam scores are permanently removed, while you can still review less certain cases.

How to Disable Auto-Delete

If you want to stop auto-deletion and only use Spam Box:

1. Log in to your Ecenica Dashboard
2. Click Manage next to your Ecenica hosting service
3. Click Spam Filter
4. Under Automatically Delete New Spam (Auto-Delete), toggle to Disable

All spam will now be moved to your spam folder instead of being deleted, regardless of score.

Adjusting Your Auto-Delete Threshold

If you’ve enabled Auto-Delete and want to change the threshold:

1. Log in to your Ecenica Dashboard
2. Click Manage next to your Ecenica hosting service
3. Click Spam Filter
4. Click Configure Auto-Delete Settings
5. Adjust the Auto-Delete Threshold score
6. Click Save

If too many legitimate emails are being deleted: Increase the threshold (e.g., from 11 to 15).

If too much spam is in your spam folder: Lower the threshold slightly (but never below 10).

Troubleshooting

I’m Not Receiving Important Emails

Possible cause: Legitimate emails are being auto-deleted due to a low threshold.

Solution:

1. Disable Auto-Delete immediately
2. Check your spam folder to see what’s being filtered
3. If you re-enable Auto-Delete, set the threshold to 12 or higher

I’m Still Getting Spam in My Inbox

Possible cause: Spam scores below the spam filtering threshold (usually below 5).

Solution:

1. Check the spam score of emails in your inbox
2. Consider using additional filtering or blocking specific senders
3. Review your spam folder to see if similar emails are being filtered

My Spam Folder is Overflowing

Possible cause: Auto-Delete is disabled or threshold is too high.

Solution:

1. Enable Auto-Delete with a threshold of 11 or 12
2. Manually empty your spam folder regularly
3. Consider whitelisting legitimate senders to prevent them from being filtered

How Do I Check an Email’s Spam Score?

Spam scores are included in email headers. To view:

1. Open the email in your email client
2. View the email’s full headers (process varies by client)
3. Look for a line like:

    X-Spam-Score: 8.5

This shows the spam score assigned to that email.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover emails deleted by Auto-Delete?
No. Auto-Delete permanently removes emails and they cannot be recovered.

Does enabling Auto-Delete turn off Spam Box?
No. Spam Box continues working. Only emails above your Auto-Delete threshold are permanently deleted. Emails with lower spam scores are still moved to your spam folder.

Can I set different Auto-Delete thresholds for different email accounts?
No. The Auto-Delete threshold applies to all email accounts on your hosting service.

What’s a safe Auto-Delete threshold?
11 or higher. This ensures only emails with very high spam scores are deleted, while questionable emails go to your spam folder for review.

Will Auto-Delete affect emails already in my spam folder?
No. Auto-Delete only applies to new incoming emails.

Can I whitelist senders to prevent them from being filtered or auto-deleted?
Yes. Use Ecenica Spam Filter’s whitelist feature to ensure emails from specific senders always reach your inbox, regardless of spam score.

What if I disable Auto-Delete?
All spam filtering continues working normally. All spam will be moved to your spam folder instead of being deleted, regardless of score.

Need Help?

If you’re experiencing issues with spam filtering or Auto-Delete, contact Ecenica support and we’ll help you configure the best spam protection for your needs.