The fastest way to block an email address in Outlook

Open the email from the sender you want to block. Right-click on their name or email address at the top of the message, then select Block Sender from the menu. Outlook will move that sender's future emails to your Junk folder automatically, and you won't see notifications for them.

If you're using Outlook on the web, click the three dots (more actions) at the top right of the email, then choose Block. The sender goes to your blocked list when ready.

Once you block someone, you can still see their old emails in your mailbox — blocking only stops new messages. If you want to delete their past emails too, you'll need to find and delete them separately.

Key Takeaways

  • Right-click the sender's name in any email and select Block Sender to send their future messages to Junk automatically.
  • Blocking works across all your devices if you use the same Outlook account, because the block list syncs to Microsoft's servers.
  • You can unblock a sender at any time by going to Settings and removing them from your blocked list.
  • Blocked senders can still send you emails — they just land in Junk instead of your inbox, so you won't see them unless you check that folder.

Blocking email in Outlook on Windows

Open the email from the person you want to block. Look at the top of the message where their name and email address appear. Right-click directly on their name or email address — not on the subject line or the message body.

A small menu will pop up. Click Block Sender. Outlook will confirm that the sender has been blocked, and their future emails will go straight to your Junk folder. You'll see no notification when they send you something new.

If you want to block someone without opening their email first, you can right-click on their name in your inbox list and select Block Sender from there too. The result is the same.

Blocking email in Outlook on Mac

Open the email from the sender you want to block. At the top of the message, you'll see their name and email address. Click on their name or email, and a small menu appears with options including Block Contact. Click that option.

On some versions of Outlook for Mac, you may need to look for a menu icon (three dots or lines) near the sender's name instead. Click that, then look for Block or Block Sender in the dropdown menu.

After you block someone on Mac, their emails will go to Junk just like on Windows. If you're not sure where the block option is in your version, check the Outlook menu at the top of your screen and search for Preferences — you can manage your blocked senders list there too.

Blocking email in Outlook on the web

Log into your Outlook account at outlook.com or outlook.live.com. Open the email from the sender you want to block. At the top right of the email, click the three dots (more actions button).

A menu will drop down. Look for and click Block. Outlook will move that sender to your blocked list, and their future emails will go to Junk. You'll get no notification when they send you something new.

Blocking on the web works the same way as blocking on your computer or phone — the block list syncs across all your devices because it's stored on Microsoft's servers, not just on one device.

Managing your blocked senders list

To see who you've blocked or to unblock someone, go to your Outlook settings. On Windows or Mac, click the gear icon (Settings) and look for Blocked Senders or Junk Email. On the web, click the gear icon and search for "blocked senders" in the settings search box.

Your blocked senders list shows every email address you've blocked. If you want to unblock someone, find their name in the list and click the X or Remove button next to it. They'll be unblocked when ready, and their emails will go back to your inbox instead of Junk.

You can also manage blocked senders by going to your Junk folder, right-clicking an email from someone you want to unblock, and selecting Not Junk or Unblock Sender. This removes them from your blocked list and moves that email back to your inbox.

What happens after you block someone

When you block a sender, Outlook doesn't delete their old emails — it only stops new ones from reaching your inbox. Their past messages stay in your mailbox unless you delete them. If you want to remove their old emails too, search for their name or email address in your inbox, select all their messages, and delete them.

Blocked senders can still send you emails. Their messages just go to your Junk folder instead of your inbox, so you won't see a notification. If you check your Junk folder and see an email from someone you blocked, that's normal — it means they sent something after you blocked them.

If a blocked sender uses a different email address to contact you, Outlook won't recognize it as the same person, so those emails will come through normally. Blocking only works for the exact email address you blocked, not for the person behind it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a blocked sender tell that I blocked them?

No. When you block someone, they don't receive any notification. Their emails still go through to Outlook's servers — they just land in your Junk folder instead of your inbox. The sender has no way to know whether you blocked them, deleted their emails, or straightforward didn't read them.

What's the difference between blocking and marking as junk?

Blocking adds someone to your blocked senders list and automatically sends all their future emails to Junk. Marking a single email as junk just moves that one message to Junk and trains Outlook's filter, but doesn't block the sender. Blocking is permanent until you unblock them; marking as junk is a one-time action.

If I block someone, will they see that I read their old emails?

No. Blocking only affects new emails going forward. Old emails from that sender stay in your mailbox, and Outlook doesn't send any read receipts or notifications to the sender about whether you've opened their past messages.

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

Outlook doesn't have a built-in feature to block all emails from a domain like @example.com. You can only block individual email addresses. If you're getting spam from many addresses at the same domain, you can create a rule in Settings to automatically move emails from that domain to Junk, but this requires going into advanced settings.

What if I accidentally blocked someone I didn't mean to?

Go to your Outlook settings and find your blocked senders list. Search for the person's name or email address, and click the X or Remove button next to it. They'll be unblocked when ready, and their emails will start coming to your inbox again instead of Junk.