All Outlook.com users benefit from spam and malware filtering. For Microsoft 365 Family and Microsoft 365 Personal subscribers, Outlook.com performs extra screening of the attachments and links in messages you receive.
Attachments
When you receive messages with attachments, Outlook.com scans the attachments for viruses and malware using advanced detection techniques that provide a higher level of protection than the free version of Outlook.com. If Outlook.com detects a dangerous file, it will be removed so you don’t accidentally open it.
Safelinks
When you receive messages with links to web pages, Outlook.com checks whether the links are related to phishing scams or are likely to download viruses or malware onto your computer. If you click a link that is suspicious, you will be redirected to a warning page like the one below.
We don't recommend clicking through to any web pages that trigger the appearance of the warning page.
The protection is automatic. These premium security features activate automatically for Microsoft 365 Family and Microsoft 365 Personal subscribers who have email accounts ending in @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @live.com, and @msn.com.
These security features work regardless of how you access your Outlook.com email. Outlook.com implements these security features in the cloud, so you will be protected no matter how you access your email.
The protection applies to Outlook.com mailboxes only. These advanced security features do not apply to third-party email accounts such as Gmail and Yahoo Mail that are synced to an Outlook.com account.
Frequently asked questions
I access my Gmail account through the connected accounts feature in Outlook.com. Will the advanced security features work for me?
No. Third-party email accounts such as Gmail and Yahoo Mail are not covered by the advanced security features.
I access my Gmail account through Outlook. Will the advanced security features work for me?
No. Third-party email accounts such as Gmail and Yahoo Mail are not covered by the advanced security features.
Can I share the security features with others as part of my Microsoft 365 Family subscription?
Yes. With an Microsoft 365 Family subscription, you can share the benefits with up to 5 others. If the people you've shared with have Outlook.com mailboxes, they’ll get the benefits automatically. Learn about sharing subscription benefits.
Why do links in my messages look different?
After you activate the advanced security features, links in your email might look different. For example, in some messages links might appear longer than usual, and include text such as "na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com." This is related to the checks we perform to protect you from phishing attacks.
Can I turn off Safelinks?
To provide the best protection for your account, Safelinks are on by default. You can turn them off by signing in to outlook.live.com. Then select Settings > Premium > Security. There's a toggle under Advanced Security that you can use to turn off Safelinks. Note that turning off Safelinks will only affect future messages you receive. It won't change the link format in messages you've already received.
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