Articles in Category: Email
Email – the most used, most long lived communications medium offered by networks of interconnected computers.
What Should I Do If I Accidentally Click on a Phishing Link?
Accidentally clicking a phishing link might be benign if you catch it soon enough. If not, you may need to take recovery actions to save your account and/or machine.
5 Reasons Your Closed Email Account Sends Spam
Closing an email account is many people’s first reaction to seeing spam sent from their account. It rarely helps, if it’s even possible. I’ll explain.
Should I Worry About Old Lost Email Accounts?
That old account you lost probably won’t come back to haunt you, but it’s wise to take some action and keep your guard up.
How Do I Send Free Anonymous Email?
Sending anonymous email ranges from easy to complex, depending on the likelihood of someone going the extra mile to identify you.
Back Up Your Email Using Thunderbird
Using a desktop email program to back up email avoids potential data loss. I’ll show you how using Outlook.com and Thunderbird as examples.
Did My Bounced Message Get There?
When an email message bounces back to you, it may be hard to know who did or did not get the message.
Are Deleted Emails Really Deleted?
“Permanently deleted” email may or may not be recoverable. Depending on the situation and motivation, that email could come back to haunt or help you.
Why Do Pictures in Email Sometimes Show as Attachments, and Sometimes in the Message?
Pictures in email don’t always display. The reasons are varied and confusing, but I’ll review the three most common causes of problems and what you need to do.
Will Microsoft Close My Hotmail Account If I Don’t Sign In?
You can lose your account, and everything in it, if you don’t sign in often enough. Here’s how often you need to, and other ways to protect yourself.
Can I Tell If Someone Blocked My Texts and Email?
Email and texting usually works, but when it doesn’t, there’s just no way to tell if someone has blocked you.
What Recovery Email Address Should I Use?
Your recovery email address is easy to overlook and forget, but it can be critical to regaining access to a compromised account. Here’s what you need to do.
Email Headers Revealed and How They Might Help You
Email headers are geeky magic, but understanding a few can help identify spam and diagnose some email problems.
How Do I Get Rid of Gmail Tabs? How to Regain Control and Find the Email Gmail Might Be Hiding From You
Gmail introduced a tabbed interface to automatically categorize email messages. Since their categorization often misses the mark, let’s turn it off.
Why Do I Get Spam Not Addressed to Me? How Spammers Do It, and What Steps You Can Take
Spammers use many techniques to slide their garbage into your inbox. BCCing you on messages is a common way.
Why Am I Not Getting the Email Newsletter I Signed Up For? Three Steps to Improve the Situation
Over-aggressive spam filtering can cause email newsletters and other messages to fail to appear in your inbox. I’ll look at why that is, and three steps you can take to improve the situation.
Can I Recover Deleted Emails in Gmail I Deleted Three Years Ago?
Email deleted “a long time ago” can be impossible to recover from the provider and difficult to recover from anywhere else.
Could Someone Reopen My Closed Email Account?
After an online account is deleted, the ID or email address is eventually made available for re-use. It’s the same name but a different owner, and that can confuse people.
Will My Email Be There If I Reactivate a Deleted Account? Don’t Count On It
When you delete an account, the provider may not keep its contents in case you want to reactivate the deleted account. I have an alternative suggestion.
How Do I Correct My Microsoft Account (Outlook.com) Time Zone?
If the time on your Outlook.com messages is wrong by hours, you may need to correct the time zone in your Microsoft account profile.
What Should I Do When My Information Is Involved in a Breach?
If your account is ever part of a breach, secure it to avoid further risk.
How Do I Stop Email from Going to Junk in Outlook.com?
It’s frustrating when email previously marked as “not junk” continues to get sent to the Junk folder. It may be due to a hidden email address you don’t normally see. I’ll show you how to expose it and what to do with it.
How Do I Print an Email in Black Instead of Gray in Outlook.com?
Outlook.com defaults to showing dark gray text instead of black. There’s no setting to change it, but I’ll describe a couple of straws to grasp at.
Add an Account to the Microsoft Mail Program
The Windows 10 Mail program supports multiple email accounts, so I’ll show you how to add one.
How Do I Keep Outlook.com from Locking Me Out When I Travel?
When your email is suddenly accessed from a new location, it could mean someone other than you is trying to log in. Email providers like Outlook.com watch for this.
Searching for a Technical Support Support Phone Number? Avoid This Huge Trap
There is no support phone number for major free services. So what’s up with the phone numbers in search results?
“From” Spoofing: How Spammers Send Email that Looks Like It Came from You
“From” spoofing is how spammers send email that looks like it comes from you that you had nothing at all to do with. I’ll look at how it’s done.
Why Does Email I Send Fail But a Reply Works?
When email you send bounces, that can mean many things. If a reply to that same person works, there’s almost certainly a problem with the email address you’re sending to.
Does Emptying Trash in Email Keep Others from Seeing My Deleted Email?
Most of us aren’t able to access emails we’ve deleted, but that doesn’t mean someone at the email provider can’t.
How Do I Find the IP Address of an Email’s Sender?
Determining the IP address of an email sender is difficult at best, and usually impossible. Sometimes you get lucky.
How Do I Tell If My Email Has Been Hacked?
It can be surprisingly hard to tell if an email account has been hacked, especially when hackers cover their tracks. I’ll show you a couple of possible signs.
Am I Wasting My Time Reporting Scam and Spam Emails?
Reporting spam in your email program with the spam button is critical. Reporting it by forwarding it somewhere isn’t going to do any good.
If I Do These Things, Will I Be Anonymous?
Anonymity on the internet is really, really hard. Some of the practices we might use to stay anonymous could still be leaking identifiable, traceable information.
How to Get Email with Attachments Delivered
Emailing attachments — particularly large files — is getting more and more difficult as ISPs limit size and scan for malware.
Why Are Pictures Not Showing in Email?
There are many reasons pictures don’t show up in email. I’ll review the complex world that is email, and some of the things that can go wrong.
Why Does Legitimate Email from PayPal Instruct Me to Click a Link?
The rule is, never click on links unless you are 100% certain that they are from who you think they are. The question is, how can you be certain?
What Is It About Attachments?
Email attachments are useful, ubiquitous, and convenient. They’re also abused, dangerous, and responsible for infections and data breaches.
Why Are There Vertical Bars on the Left of Some Emails I Send?
When replying to email, many programs include the original text with some indication that it is the original. We’ll look at configuring that.
Why Does Thunderbird Think this Message Might Be a Scam?
Occasionally, security software examines links in email and alerts you if something is suspicious. Frequently, it’s totally benign.
Why Must I Re-enter my Email to Unsubscribe?
Occasionally, you’re asked to enter the email address you want to unsubscribe. With today’s technology, there’s no excuse for that.
Dealing with Fake “Ask Leo”
Someone’s sending spam that looks like an Ask Leo! recommendation. It’s not, and it gives us clues to keep in mind when evaluating any email message.
Can I Tell If Email I Sent Has Been Read by the Recipient?
While there are settings and services that claim to know if an email has been opened, they are notoriously unreliable and pointless.
What Does “Relaying Denied” Mean?
“Relaying denied” is an error you may receive in a bounce reply to an email message you sent. I’ll look at what relaying is, and why it might be denied.
Out-of-Office Replies are Evil
Out-of-office replies can ricochet through email lists like spam and even put you in harm’s way. Are they evil?
How Do I Change the Default Mail Program in Windows?
The default mail program is used to send email at the request of other programs on your computer or links on web page. If you use a web interface, however, things get tricky.
What are the Pros and Cons of Web-based Email Over Desktop Email?
Web-based and downloaded email both have significant advantages and disadvantages. Which is right for you depends on many things.
Are Free Email Services Worth It?
Free email services and accounts are convenient and ubiquitous, and can be used safely, if and only if you take responsibility for that safety.
Gmail’s Confidential Mode Isn’t
Gmail offers a “confidential mode”. It is and it isn’t; learn how it works before you use it.
How to (Accidentally) Give Someone Else Your PayPal Account
Entering your email address incorrectly might just be a typo, but it can have surprising ramifications.
Why I (Still) Don’t Like Challenge/Response Spam Blockers
An error caused my newsletter to come “From” the wrong address. Flooded with challenge/response mails, I wonder: what other messages are you missing?
Why Does My IP Address Have a Bad Reputation? And What Do I Do?
Email reputation for your home IP address probably doesn’t matter, and having it characterized as “poor” might even be a good thing.
