Requesting Release of Quarantined Emails

Overview

Microsoft 365 may quarantine emails that appear suspicious or potentially harmful. Before requesting the release of any quarantined email, it is critical that you review the message first to ensure it contains relevant information. Unnecessary releases can increase security risks.

Important Note

• Always review the quarantined email before requesting release.
• For example:
  • If the subject line reads “Autoreply”, check the message content.
  • If the email contains no relevant information, do not request release.
• Quarantined emails that are not released will be automatically deleted after 30 days by the system.

Steps to Request Release

1. Access the Quarantine Portal

• Go to: https://security.microsoft.com/quarantine
• Sign in using your Microsoft 365 account credentials.

2. Locate and Review the Message

• Use filters to find the quarantined email:
  • Delivery Location: Email
  • Date Range: Select the relevant time frame
  • Policy Type: Spam, Phishing, Malware, etc.
• Click on the message to view:
  • Subject
  • Sender
  • Reason for Quarantine
• Use Preview Message to safely check the content (attachments remain blocked).

3. Decide Whether to Request Release

• If the email is legitimate and contains relevant information:
  1. Select the message.
  2. Click Release Message.
  3. Confirm the release request.
• If the email is not relevant or appears suspicious:
  • Ignore it. It will be deleted automatically after 30 days.

4. If Release Requires Approval

• Some messages (e.g., suspected phishing) need admin approval:
  1. Click Request Release (if available).
  2. Add a reason in the comment box.
  3. Notify IT support with the Message ID (found in message details).

5. Report as Not Junk (Optional)

• After the email arrives, mark it as Not Junk in Outlook to improve future filtering.

✅ Security Reminder

Only request release for emails you are certain are safe and relevant. If in doubt, contact IT support.