How to unblock a sender in Outlook (remove an email address from Blocked Senders)

This guide shows you how to remove an email address or domain from your Blocked Senders list in Outlook, so their messages arrive in your Inbox again. Use it if you accidentally blocked someone, if a vendor or coworker's mail suddenly started going to Junk, or if you blocked a sender and now need to hear from them.

The steps differ depending on which version of Outlook you use. Pick the section that matches your setup.

Prerequisites

• You can sign in to Outlook with your work account.
• You know the email address or domain you want to unblock (for example [email protected] or vendor.com).
• Blocked Senders is a per-mailbox setting. Changes you make here affect only your mailbox, not anyone else's.

Which version of Outlook do you have?

What you see	Which section to use
A toggle labeled New Outlook in the top-right corner, turned on	New Outlook for Windows
A File menu in the top-left and a classic ribbon with a Junk button	Classic Outlook for Windows
Outlook running in a web browser at outlook.office.com	Outlook on the web
Outlook on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device	Outlook mobile

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New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web

The steps are the same in both.

1. Open your junk email settings

Select the gear icon in the top-right corner, then go to Mail > Junk email.

If you have more than one account added to Outlook, select the account you want to change first — each mailbox has its own list.

2. Find the address under Blocked senders

Scroll to the Blocked senders and domains section. You'll see a list of every address and domain you've blocked.

If the list is long, use your browser's find function (Ctrl + F) to locate the address quickly.

3. Remove the entry

Select the trash can or Remove icon next to the address you want to unblock. The entry disappears from the list.

If the sender is listed twice — once as a specific address and once as a whole domain — remove both entries.

4. Save your changes

Select Save at the bottom of the page. You'll see the settings pane close or a brief confirmation.

Important: Changes aren't applied until you select Save. Closing the settings pane without saving leaves the sender blocked.

5. (Optional) Add them to Safe senders

While you're on the same page, scroll to Safe senders and domains, enter the address, and select Add, then Save. This tells Outlook to always deliver their mail to your Inbox, even if the spam filter would otherwise flag it.

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Classic Outlook for Windows

1. Open Junk E-mail Options

On the Home tab of the ribbon, select Junk > Junk E-mail Options.

If you're working in a shared mailbox, click into that mailbox's Inbox folder first — otherwise you'll edit your own list by mistake.

2. Go to the Blocked Senders tab

In the Junk E-mail Options window, select the Blocked Senders tab. This shows every address and domain currently blocked for this mailbox.

3. Select the address and remove it

Click the address you want to unblock, then select Remove.

To unblock several at once, hold Ctrl while clicking each address, then select Remove.

4. Apply the change

Select Apply, then OK. The window closes and the sender is unblocked.

5. (Optional) Mark the sender as safe

Open a message from that sender, right-click it, and choose Junk > Never Block Sender (for that one address) or Never Block Sender's Domain (for everyone at that company). Outlook confirms the address was added to your Safe Senders list.

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Outlook mobile (iOS and Android)

The Outlook mobile apps don't include a blocked senders editor. To unblock a sender from your phone:

1. Open a browser and go to outlook.office.com.
2. Sign in with your work account.
3. Follow the Outlook on the web steps above.

The change syncs to your phone within a few minutes.

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Verify it worked

1. Reopen the Blocked Senders list and confirm the address is gone.
2. Ask the sender to send you a test message, or wait for their next one.
3. The next message should land in your Inbox, not Junk Email.

Messages that were already delivered to your Junk Email folder stay there. Move them manually: select the message, then choose Not junk (new Outlook / web) or Junk > Not Junk (classic Outlook).

Time limit on junk mail: Messages in the Junk Email folder are deleted automatically after 14 days and can't be recovered after that. If you're looking for an older message from a blocked sender, check Deleted Items before assuming it's gone.

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Common issues

The sender still goes to Junk after I unblocked them.
Removing a block and passing the spam filter are two different things. The server-side filter runs on its own and may still flag the message. Add the sender to your Safe senders and domains list, and move any junked messages back to the Inbox using Not junk — this teaches the filter over time.

The address isn't on my Blocked Senders list, but their mail still goes to Junk.
The block is happening somewhere other than your personal list. Common causes:

• An Inbox rule you created is moving the mail. Check Settings > Mail > Rules.
• The spam filter is flagging the message on its own. Add the sender to Safe senders.
• The message is being caught by a company-wide filter. Submit a ticket — IT can check the mail flow logs and quarantine.

I don't see a Junk email option in my settings.
Your mailbox may have junk email settings managed centrally, or you may be looking at a POP/IMAP account rather than your work Exchange account. Submit a ticket and include a screenshot of the settings screen you're seeing.

I unblocked them but their mail never arrives at all — not even in Junk.
That's a delivery problem, not a junk filter problem. The message may be sitting in quarantine or being rejected at the gateway. Submit a ticket and include the sender's address and the approximate date and time they sent the message.

The sender is getting a bounce-back saying they're blocked.
Forward the full bounce message (non-delivery report) to IT. If it contains an error code like 5.7.5xx, include that — the code tells IT exactly what's rejecting the mail.