Block a sender in Hotmail's web version

Open your Hotmail inbox in a web browser and find an email from the sender you want to block. Right-click on the email (or on a mobile device, long-press it), then select Block from the menu that appears. Hotmail will move that sender's future emails to your Junk folder automatically.

If you do not see a Block option in the right-click menu, look for the three dots (more options) at the top of the email itself. Click those dots and select Block from the dropdown. The result is the same — all future messages from that address go straight to Junk.

Once you block someone, you can unblock them later if you change your mind. Go to Settings (the gear icon in the top right), then Mail, then Junk email. Scroll down to Blocked senders and you will see your list. Click the X next to any address to remove the block.

Key Takeaways

  • Right-click any email from the sender and select Block to send their future messages to your Junk folder.
  • If the Block option does not appear in the right-click menu, click the three dots at the top of the email instead.
  • Blocked senders are listed in Settings > Mail > Junk email > Blocked senders, where you can unblock them anytime.
  • Blocking only affects new emails — messages already in your inbox stay where they are unless you delete them.
  • Hotmail blocks the exact email address you selected, not the person's entire domain, so a sender using a different address can still reach you.

Block a sender from the Junk folder

If an email has already landed in your Junk folder, you can block that sender without going back to your inbox. Open the Junk folder, find the email, and right-click it. Select Block just as you would from the inbox. This is useful if you want to block someone whose messages you have already been ignoring.

You can also block multiple emails from the same sender at once. In your inbox or Junk folder, click the checkbox next to each email from that sender, then click the three dots at the top of the list and select Block. Hotmail will block the sender and move all selected emails to Junk.

What happens after you block someone

When you block an email address, Hotmail routes all future messages from that sender to your Junk folder. You will not see a notification that a blocked sender tried to reach you — their emails straightforward appear in Junk instead of your inbox. This means you can still read them if you check Junk, but they will not interrupt your inbox view.

The blocked sender does not receive any notification that you blocked them. From their perspective, their email was sent normally. They will not know whether you read it, ignored it, or blocked it — Hotmail does not send a delivery failure message back to them.

Block a sender in the Hotmail mobile app

Open the Hotmail app on your phone and find an email from the sender you want to block. Long-press the email (hold your finger on it for a moment) until a menu appears. Tap Block from the options shown. The sender's future emails will go to Junk.

If you do not see a Block option after long-pressing, tap the three dots or menu icon at the top of the email and look for Block there. The process is the same across iPhone and Android — the exact location of the menu button may differ slightly depending on your phone, but the Block option itself works identically.

Manage your blocked senders list

To see everyone you have blocked, open Hotmail in a web browser and click the gear icon in the top right corner. Select View all Outlook settings, then go to Mail > Junk email. Under Blocked senders, you will see a complete list of every email address you have blocked.

To unblock someone, find their address in the Blocked senders list and click the X next to it. Their emails will no longer go to Junk — they will arrive in your inbox like any other sender. You can block and unblock the same person as many times as you need to.

If you want to block an entire domain (for example, all addresses ending in @example.com), Hotmail does not offer that option directly. Instead, you would need to block each individual address as emails arrive, or use Outlook rules to send all mail from that domain to Junk. Rules are more advanced and require going to Settings > Mail > Rules.

When blocking does not work the way you expect

Blocking stops emails from reaching your inbox, but it does not stop the sender from sending them. If someone is harassing you and keeps creating new email addresses to contact you, blocking each address individually becomes tedious. In that case, consider reporting the emails as spam or phishing instead — this helps Hotmail identify patterns and may prevent the sender from using Hotmail's own services.

If a blocked sender's emails are still appearing in your inbox, the most common reason is that they are using a different email address than the one you blocked. Check the sender's address carefully — even a small difference (like adding a number or using a different domain) means it is technically a different address and will not be caught by your block. You would need to block each address separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I block an email address without opening an email from them?

No. Hotmail requires you to have at least one email from the sender in order to block them. If you know someone's address but have not received an email from them yet, you cannot preemptively block them. Once they send you a message, you can block it when ready.

Will the person I blocked know that I blocked them?

No. Blocking is invisible to the sender. They will not receive any notification, bounce-back message, or indication that you blocked them. Their emails will straightforward arrive in your Junk folder instead of your inbox, and they have no way of knowing that happened.

Can I block an entire company or domain?

Hotmail blocks individual email addresses, not entire domains. If you want to block all emails from a company, you would need to block each address separately as they arrive. For a more automated approach, you can create a rule in Settings > Mail > Rules that sends all mail from a specific domain to Junk, though this requires more steps than straightforward blocking.

What is the difference between blocking and marking as spam?

Blocking sends a sender's emails to Junk automatically. Marking as spam does the same thing but also tells Hotmail that the sender is a spammer, which helps train the system to catch similar messages. If you are certain someone is sending unsolicited bulk mail, marking as spam is more helpful than blocking alone.

Can I block someone and still see their emails if I want to?

Yes. Blocked emails go to your Junk folder, not deleted. You can open Junk anytime and read messages from blocked senders if you choose to. The block straightforward keeps them out of your inbox view. If you want to read one of their emails, go to Junk, find it, and open it normally.