The fastest way to block someone in Outlook

Open the email from the person 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 moves all future emails from that address to your Junk folder automatically.

If you are using Outlook on the web (outlook.com or outlook.office.com), click the three dots at the top right of the email, then choose Block. The result is the same — their messages go straight to Junk.

Once you block someone, you can still see their emails if you go looking in your Junk folder, but they will not land in your inbox or notify you. You can unblock them later if you change your mind.

Key Takeaways

  • Right-click the sender's name in any email and select Block Sender to send all their future messages to Junk.
  • Blocking does not delete old emails from that person — they stay in your inbox unless you move or delete them yourself.
  • You can block someone without them knowing, and you can unblock them at any time from your blocked senders list.
  • On Outlook on the web, use the three-dot menu instead of right-clicking to find the Block option.

Where blocked senders go and how to see your list

When you block an address, Outlook sends all incoming mail from that sender to your Junk folder. This happens automatically for every new message, but the person can still send emails — they just will not reach your inbox.

To see everyone you have blocked, go to Settings (the gear icon in Outlook on the web, or File > Options > Trust Center > Junk Email in the desktop app). Look for Blocked Senders or Safe Senders depending on your version. You will see a list of every address you have blocked and can remove anyone from it.

If you block someone by mistake, find them in that list and delete them. They will go back to your normal inbox rules when ready.

Blocking a sender when you do not have their email yet

If someone is harassing you but you have not received an email from them, you cannot block them directly. Instead, go to Settings > Junk Email and manually type their address into the Blocked Senders box.

This works the same way as blocking from an email — their messages go to Junk if they ever send you anything. You can add as many addresses as you need, one per line.

What happens to emails already in your inbox

Blocking someone does not move their old emails out of your inbox or delete them. If they sent you 50 messages before you blocked them, all 50 stay where they are unless you delete them yourself.

To clean up old emails from someone you have blocked, open your inbox, find their messages, select them, and delete them. You can sort by sender to find all their emails at once. If you want to keep some but not others, you can delete them one by one.

Blocking does not stop them from seeing your replies

Blocking only works one direction — it stops their emails from reaching you, but if you have already replied to them, they can still see those replies. Blocking does not erase your past conversation or prevent them from reading what you have already sent.

If you are blocking someone because of harassment or safety concerns, consider whether you need to take additional steps, like changing your password or reporting the behavior to your email provider or your workplace.

Unblocking someone later

Go to Settings > Junk Email > Blocked Senders (or Safe Senders, depending on your Outlook version). Find the address you want to unblock and click the X or Delete button next to it. Their emails will go back to your inbox like normal starting when ready.

Unblocking does not restore old emails they sent while they were blocked — those stayed in Junk the whole time. If you want to see them, go to your Junk folder and move them back to your inbox manually.

Blocking does not work the same way in Outlook rules

Outlook also lets you create rules that automatically sort, delete, or move emails based on the sender. Blocking is simpler than rules — it takes one click and does one thing. Rules are more powerful if you need to do something other than send mail to Junk, like automatically delete it or move it to a specific folder.

If blocking is not enough for what you need, you can create a rule instead. Go to Settings > Mail > Rules and set up a condition for the sender's address, then choose what happens to their emails. Rules and blocks work separately, so you can use both at the same time if you need to.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the person I blocked tell that I blocked them?

No. Outlook does not notify someone when you block them, and they cannot see a list of people who have blocked them. They may eventually notice you are not replying, but they have no way to know it is because of a block rather than you ignoring them.

What if someone keeps emailing me from different addresses?

Block each address individually as they arrive. If the harassment continues from many different addresses, contact your email provider or your workplace IT department — they may be able to block the person at a higher level or investigate the behavior.

Does blocking someone in Outlook also block them on other Microsoft services?

No. Blocking in Outlook only affects your email inbox. If you use Teams, OneDrive, or other Microsoft services, you may need to block them separately in those apps if they are contacting you there too.

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

Outlook does not have a built-in way to block a whole domain at once. You have to block individual addresses. If many people from the same company are bothering you, block them one by one or contact your IT department to see if they can block the domain at the server level.

If I block someone, will they see that their emails are going to my Junk folder?

No. They will not receive any notification. From their perspective, they sent you an email normally. They have no way to know whether it reached your inbox, went to Junk, or was deleted.