Knowledgebase

User Level Filtering

cPanel lets you filter email sent to a specific user’s address. This can be useful for discarding spam, redirecting mail, or piping messages to a program.

Add a User Level Filter

It is important to give the filter an appropriate name, as it will make the task of managing existing filters easier in the future.

To create a new filter:

1. Click Create a new Filter.
2. Type a name for the filter in the Filter Name box.
3. Select a message characteristic from the first pull-down menu.
4. Select an operator from the next pull-down menu.
5. Enter the characters or words you wish to use as a filter.
6. You can add and subtract rules by clicking the + and - buttons.
7. Select an action from the pull-down menu under the Actions heading. You can add and subtract actions by clicking the + and - buttons.
8. Click Activate to initialize the filter.

For a comprehensive list of options available to configure your filter, click here.

A word about operators: When you create a filter using several operators, it may be useful to note that cPanel will always process the "and" operator before the "or" operator. As a result, email filters will be processed as follows:

• A or B and C will be processed as A or (B and C).
• A and B or C will be processed as (A and B) or C.

If you wish to create a filter such as (A or B) and (C or D), you would have to create it like so:

• (A and C) or (A and D) or (B and C) or (B and D).

Test a Custom Filter

Once a filter has been created, it can be tested.

To test your filter:

1. Type a test email message in the text box below the Filter Test heading.
   • Be sure to include the characters or words that you have set your filter to catch.
2. Click Test Filter.

Edit a Custom Filter

You can also modify an existing filter.

To edit an existing filter:

1. Click Edit next to the appropriate filter name.
2. You can adjust any of the fields displayed — the message characteristic, operator, term to filter, or resulting action.
3. Click Activate to initialize the filter.

Remove an Existing Filter

To delete a filter:

1. Click Delete.
2. Confirm that the filter should be deleted on the following page.

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