How Do I Use Microsoft SNDS?

What Is Microsoft SNDS?

SNDS is Microsoft's sender reputation portal. It provides data about how Microsoft views your sending IPs and helps you identify deliverability issues before they become critical.

Key Data SNDS Provides

• IP reputation: Green, yellow, or red status for each IP
• Message volume: How many messages Microsoft received from your IPs
• Complaint rate: Percentage of recipients marking your email as junk
• Spam trap hits: Whether you sent to known spam trap addresses
• Filter results: How much of your mail was filtered as spam

Setting Up SNDS

Step 1: Access the Portal

Navigate to the SNDS portal at sendersupport.olc.protection.outlook.com/snds. Sign in with a Microsoft account (Outlook, Hotmail, or work account).

Step 2: Request IP Access

1. Click "Request Access" in the portal
2. Enter the IP addresses or IP ranges you send from
3. Microsoft will send a verification email to the abuse contact in WHOIS
4. Click the verification link to confirm ownership

Step 3: Complete Verification

If you do not control the WHOIS abuse contact (common with shared hosting or ESPs), you may need to:

• Contact your hosting provider to forward verification emails
• Request your ESP to grant SNDS access through their portal
• Use automated SNDS access if your ESP provides it

Understanding SNDS Data

IP Reputation Colors

• Green: Good reputation, normal delivery expected
• Yellow: Concerning patterns detected, increased filtering likely
• Red: Poor reputation, significant filtering or blocking

Complaint Rate

SNDS shows the percentage of messages that recipients reported as junk. Interpret this carefully:

• Below 0.1% is generally healthy
• 0.1% - 0.5% indicates potential problems
• Above 0.5% suggests serious issues requiring immediate attention

Spam Trap Hits

SNDS reports when you send to Microsoft's spam trap network. Any spam trap hits indicate:

• List hygiene problems
• Possible purchased or scraped addresses
• Stale addresses that were converted to traps

Filter Results

Shows what percentage of your mail was filtered as spam. High filter rates combined with low complaint rates may indicate content issues rather than list problems.

Using SNDS Data Effectively

Daily Monitoring

Check SNDS daily, especially after large campaigns:

• Note any color changes immediately
• Track complaint rate trends over time
• Investigate any spam trap hits
• Compare filter results across campaigns

Correlating with Campaigns

When you see negative changes in SNDS:

1. Identify which campaigns sent during that period
2. Review list sources used in those campaigns
3. Check content for potential spam triggers
4. Analyze recipient segments that may have caused issues

Responding to Problems

When SNDS shows declining reputation:

• Reduce sending volume temporarily
• Limit sending to highly engaged subscribers only
• Review and clean your email list
• Audit recent content and sending practices
• Monitor for improvement before resuming normal volume

SNDS vs Other Reputation Tools

• SNDS: Microsoft-specific, shows Outlook/Hotmail/Live data only
• Google Postmaster Tools: Gmail-specific, different metrics
• Sender Score: Third-party aggregate across multiple sources

Use all available tools together for complete reputation visibility.