Security Policy Errors

How to Disable the First-Contact Email Safety Warning in Microsoft 365

John Wilson Oct 26, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user wants to disable the first-contact safety tip that warns recipients when they receive an email from an unfamiliar sender.

How to Disable the First-Contact Email Safety Warning in Microsoft 365

Product: Microsoft 365
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Configuring anti-phishing policies to manage email safety warnings for corporate or individual accounts.
Observed behavior: A warning banner appears on incoming emails stating that the recipient does not often receive email from the sender.

Before you start

Ensure you have global administrator or security administrator permissions in Microsoft 365 to access and modify threat policies within the Microsoft Defender portal.

Solution 1Recommended

Turn Off First-Contact Safety Tip in Microsoft Defender

Modify the anti-phishing policy settings in the Microsoft Defender portal to disable the first-contact safety warning.

The first-contact safety tip is a built-in Microsoft 365 feature designed to protect users from impersonation attacks. Administrators can adjust this setting globally or apply it exclusively to specific users and groups to prevent workflow disruptions.

Log into Microsoft Defender

Open your web browser and navigate to the Microsoft Defender portal. Log in using your Microsoft 365 administrator credentials.

Navigate to Threat Policies

In the left-hand navigation menu, expand 'Policies & Rules' and then select 'Threat Policies'.

Access Anti-phishing Settings

Under the Policies section, click on 'Anti-phishing'. Select the specific policy you wish to modify (such as the Office365 AntiPhish Default policy) and click 'Edit'.

Disable the Safety Tip

Scroll through the policy settings to find the 'First-contact safety tip' option. Toggle this setting to the off position.

Assign to Specific Users

If you only want this change to affect specific individuals (like a single company-issued laptop user) rather than the whole organization, ensure the policy scope is strictly assigned to those target users or groups before saving your changes.

Turn Off First-Contact Safety Tip in Microsoft Defender

Propagation Time: Policy changes in Microsoft Defender may take several hours to fully propagate and take effect across the entire Microsoft 365 tenant.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I see the 'You don't often get email from' warning in Outlook?

This warning is a security feature in Microsoft 365 designed to alert you when receiving an email from a sender you haven't communicated with recently. It helps prevent phishing and impersonation attacks by encouraging you to verify the sender's identity.

Can an individual user disable the first-contact safety tip on their own?

No, individual end-users cannot disable this warning themselves. Because it is an organization-wide security measure, it must be turned off or adjusted by an IT administrator through the Microsoft Defender portal's anti-phishing policies.

Will turning off this safety tip affect my organization's overall email security?

Disabling the first-contact safety tip removes one layer of visual warning for end-users against potential phishing attacks. It is highly recommended to apply this change only to specific users or groups who strictly require it, rather than disabling it globally across the entire organization.

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