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 will move that sender's future emails to your Junk folder automatically.
If you're using Outlook on the web (outlook.com or Outlook 365), open the email, click the three dots at the top right, and choose Block. The sender's messages will go to Junk from that point forward.
Once you block someone, you won't see a notification that their emails arrived — they straightforward land in Junk. You can still view them if you check that folder, but they won't clutter your inbox or trigger alerts.
Key Takeaways
- Right-click the sender's name in any email and select Block Sender to send their future messages to Junk automatically.
- Blocking does not delete emails already in your inbox — only new messages from that sender go to Junk.
- You can unblock a sender at any time by going to Junk folder settings and removing them from the blocked list.
- Blocking works on a single email address, so if someone emails you from a different address, you will need to block that one separately.
Where blocked emails go and what you can still do with them
When you block a sender, Outlook routes their emails to your Junk folder instead of your inbox. The emails still exist in your account — blocking is not the same as deleting. You can open Junk at any time and read messages from blocked senders if you need to.
If a blocked sender's message contains something you need (a receipt, a document, a refund confirmation), you can still access it. Go to your Junk folder, find the email, and open it. You can also move it back to your inbox or another folder if you decide you want to keep it somewhere else.
Outlook does not notify you when a blocked sender emails you. Their messages arrive silently in Junk. This means you won't accidentally miss something important if you're not checking Junk regularly — so if you block someone you might need to hear from, check Junk occasionally or consider using a rule instead of blocking.
How to unblock a sender you blocked by mistake
Open Outlook and go to File (top left), then Options, then Trust Center, then Trust Center Settings, then Safe Senders & Block Senders. Click the Blocked Senders tab. You will see a list of every email address you have blocked.
Find the sender you want to unblock, click their email address, then click Remove. Click OK to save. Their emails will now go to your inbox instead of Junk.
In Outlook on the web, the path is faster: click the gear icon (Settings) at the top right, then View all Outlook settings, then Mail, then Junk email. You will see a Blocked senders list. Click the X next to any address to unblock them.
The difference between blocking and creating a rule
Blocking sends all future emails from one address to Junk. A rule is more flexible — you can tell Outlook to delete emails automatically, move them to a specific folder, or flag them in a certain color without sending them to Junk.
Use blocking if you want the sender's emails out of your inbox but still accessible in Junk. Use a rule if you want to delete them entirely, sort them into a folder you check separately, or handle emails from multiple senders the same way. Rules are also better if you want to block emails based on a subject line or keyword, not just the sender's address.
To create a rule in Outlook desktop, right-click an email from the sender, select Rules, then Create Rule. Choose what you want to happen to their future emails. In Outlook on the web, click the three dots on an email, select Create rule, and set your preferences.
What blocking does not do
Blocking only affects new emails. If someone sent you 50 messages before you blocked them, those 50 are still in your inbox. You have to delete them yourself if you want them gone. Blocking stops future messages, not past ones.
Blocking is also one-way. If you block someone, they do not know you blocked them. They can still send you emails — you just won't see them in your inbox. The sender will not receive a bounce-back or rejection message.
Blocking one email address does not block similar addresses. If someone emails you from john.smith@company.com and you block that address, they can still reach you from john.smith@personal.com or any other address they own. You have to block each address separately.
When to block versus when to report spam
Block a sender when you know who they are and straightforward do not want to hear from them — an ex, a former colleague, someone who keeps emailing after you asked them to stop. Blocking is quick and keeps their emails out of your way.
Report spam when the email looks suspicious, contains a phishing link, or appears to be from a scammer pretending to be someone else. In Outlook, open the email and click Report (or Junk in older versions), then Phishing or Spam. This tells Microsoft about the sender so they can investigate and protect other users.
You can block and report the same email. Reporting does not block the sender — it just alerts Microsoft. If you want them blocked and reported, do both: report it first, then block the sender.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I block an entire domain instead of one email address?
Outlook's block feature only works on individual email addresses, not whole domains. If you want to block everyone from a company or domain, you need to create a rule instead. In Outlook desktop, go to File > Options > Mail > Rules & Alerts, then create a rule that moves emails from anyone at that domain to Junk or deletes them.
If I block someone, can they see that I read their email?
No. Once you block a sender, Outlook does not send read receipts to them. They will not know whether you opened their email, when you opened it, or even that you received it. Blocking is silent on both ends.
What happens if I block my boss or a client by accident?
Go to your blocked senders list and unblock them when ready. Their emails will start arriving in your inbox again. You may want to check your Junk folder to see if any of their recent emails landed there while they were blocked, so you do not miss anything important.
Does blocking someone in Outlook also block them on other Microsoft services?
No. Blocking in Outlook only affects Outlook email. If you use Teams, OneDrive, or other Microsoft services, you would need to block that person separately in each service if you want to block them there too.
Can I block emails with certain words or phrases in the subject line?
Blocking works only on sender addresses, not on subject lines. To filter emails by subject, create a rule instead. In Outlook desktop, go to File > Options > Mail > Rules & Alerts, then set up a rule that catches emails with specific words in the subject and moves them to Junk or deletes them.