Graymail definition
Graymail refers to promotional or subscription-based emails like newsletters, promotional offers, or announcements. Graymail is not spam, and it’s neither malicious nor illegal, but it may be annoying, and it can definitely clutter your inbox.
See also: email spoofing, angler phishing, spamming
Where does graymail come from?
Graymail typically comes from services you’ve subscribed to for newsletters or promotions. Over time, if you lose interest in the content, these emails become graymail.
Why is graymail a problem?
Graymail is a problem because it clutters your inbox with unwanted emails and makes it harder to find important messages. If the volume of irrelevant emails is overwhelming, you might even miss some important communication. While not malicious, graymail still wastes time.
Ways to manage graymail
You can manage graymail in several easy steps:
- 1.Unsubscribe from newsletters and promotions you no longer want.
- 2.Use email filters to sort graymail into specific folders.
- 3.Mark unwanted graymail as spam to block future messages.
- 4.Create a dedicated email for newsletters and promotions.
- 5.Use an email management tool to manage and unsubscribe from unwanted emails in bulk.
Graymail examples
- Newsletters. Regular emails and newsletter from organisations, blogs, or websites you no longer read.
- Promotional emails. Offers, discounts, or sales emails and notifications that you receive from retailers and companies.
- Updates from social media platforms. Updates and notifications about new followers, likes, or comments on platforms where you have an account.
- Transactional emails. Order conformations, receipts, and shipping updates. Even though these emails can be important, they might also be excessive.
- Announcements. Emails about updates or new offerings from companies.
