Disabling Anti-Spam Outbound Policy for External Mail Forwarding in Microsoft 365 Exchange Online

Introduction: In Microsoft 365 Exchange Online, the anti-spam outbound policy can block external mail forwarding. This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to disable the anti-spam outbound policy using the Exchange Online Admin Center (EAC). Ensure you understand the potential implications and security risks before making changes to the spam filter policy.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Visit security.microsoft.com and log in to the Microsoft 365 Security and Compliance Center with your admin credentials.

2. In the left navigation pane, click on "Policies & rules" and then select "Threat policies."

3. Under "Anti-spam policies," select the "Anti-spam outbound policy" (usually named "Default") that is causing the blockage.

4. Click on "Edit policy settings" to modify the protection settings of the selected anti-spam outbound policy.

5. In the "Automatic forwarding rules" section, you should see "On - Forwarding is enabled."

6. Disable the automatic forwarding rule by setting it to "Off."

7. After changing the setting, you will be prompted with the message: "To complete this operation, your organization will need to be set up to support customization. Would you like to do this now?"

8. Respond to the prompt by selecting "Yes" to apply the changes and disable the anti-spam outbound policy for external mail forwarding.

Conclusion:

Please keep in mind that disabling the anti-spam outbound policy may increase the risk of spam emails reaching external recipients. It's important to assess the potential impact and ensure that this action aligns with your organization's security requirements before proceeding. If you have any uncertainties, consider seeking guidance from IT support or Microsoft 365 experts.