Block a sender in three clicks

Open the email from the person you want to block. Look for the three dots (called "more actions") in the top right of the message — it looks like •••. Click it, then select Block. Outlook moves that sender's future emails to your Junk folder automatically.

That's the whole process. Once blocked, you won't see messages from that address in your inbox. They land in Junk instead, where you can delete them without reading.

If you're using Outlook on the web (in your browser rather than the desktop app), the three dots appear in the same spot. The menu looks slightly different, but Block is still there.

Key Takeaways

  • Blocking sends future emails to Junk automatically — it does not delete messages already in your inbox.
  • You can block from the email itself using the three-dot menu, or from your Junk folder if you've already moved it there.
  • Blocked senders can still email you; their messages just skip your inbox and go straight to Junk.
  • To unblock someone, go to Settings, find Blocked Senders, and remove their address from the list.

Block someone from your Junk folder

If you've already moved an email to Junk and want to block that sender, you don't have to find the original message. Open your Junk folder, right-click the email, and select Block Sender. The sender goes on your blocked list when ready.

This route is useful when you're cleaning out spam that's already piled up. You can block multiple senders in one session by going through your Junk folder and blocking as you go.

Unblock a sender if you change your mind

Blocking isn't permanent. If you blocked someone by mistake or want to hear from them again, you can remove them from your blocked list.

In Outlook on the desktop, go to File at the top left, then Options, then Trust Center, then Trust Center Settings, then Safe Senders & Block Senders. Click the Blocked Senders tab. Find the person's email address in the list, click it, and click Remove.

In Outlook on the web, click the gear icon in the top right, go to View all Outlook settings, then Mail, then Junk email. Under Blocked senders, you'll see your list. Click the X next to any address to unblock them.

What happens to emails after you block someone

Blocking does not delete old emails from that sender. Messages already in your inbox stay there. Blocking only affects new messages going forward — they land in Junk instead of your inbox.

If you want to remove old emails from a blocked sender, you have to delete them yourself. Open your inbox, find their messages, select them, and delete. Blocking won't do that work for you.

Block a sender from a forwarded email

Sometimes you receive an email that someone else forwarded to you, and you want to block the original sender. The three-dot menu in a forwarded email shows the address of the person who forwarded it to you, not the original sender.

To block the original sender, you need to open the forwarded email, then look at the message details to find their address. Click the down arrow next to the sender's name at the top of the message. You'll see the full chain of who sent it to whom. Right-click the original sender's name and select Block Sender.

Difference between blocking and marking as spam

Blocking and marking as spam do similar things but work slightly differently. When you block a sender, Outlook adds them to your blocked list and routes their future emails to Junk. When you mark as spam, you're telling Outlook that a specific message is unwanted, which helps train Outlook's spam filter.

For a single unwanted email, marking as spam is enough. For a sender you never want to hear from again, blocking is the better choice because it catches everything from that address automatically. You can do both — block the sender and mark their current email as spam — but blocking alone is usually sufficient.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the blocked sender know I blocked them?

No. Outlook does not notify senders when you block them. Their emails still go through to your account; they just land in Junk instead of your inbox. From their perspective, they have no way to know whether you received their message or read it.

Can I block an entire domain instead of just one email address?

Outlook does not have a built-in feature to block all emails from a domain (like everything from @example.com). You can only block individual email addresses. If you're getting spam from many addresses at the same domain, you'll need to block each one separately, or use a rule to send all mail from that domain to Junk.

What if someone creates a new email address and emails me again?

Blocking only stops emails from the specific address you blocked. If the sender creates a new email account, those messages won't be blocked automatically. You'll need to block the new address when it arrives. This is why blocking works well for legitimate people but is less effective against determined spammers.

Does blocking work the same way on my phone?

The Outlook app on iPhone and Android has a block feature, but it works slightly differently than the desktop version. Open the email, tap the three dots, and select Block Sender. The sender goes to your blocked list, but the interface for managing your blocked list is different on mobile — you'll need to go to Settings within the app rather than through File menu options.