Block a sender in Hotmail's inbox

Open the email from the sender you want to block. Look for the three dots (•••) in the top right corner of the message — this is the menu button. Click it, then select Block from the dropdown menu. Hotmail will move that sender's future emails to your Junk folder automatically.

If you want to block someone without opening their email, right-click on their name in your inbox list and choose Block. The result is the same: their messages go straight to Junk from that point forward.

Blocked senders stay blocked until you unblock them. You can see your full block list and remove anyone from it by going to Settings (the gear icon) > Mail > Junk email > Blocked senders.

Key Takeaways

  • Click the three-dot menu on any email and select Block to send that sender's future messages to Junk.
  • You can also right-click a sender's name in your inbox list and choose Block without opening the email.
  • Blocked senders' emails arrive in your Junk folder, not your inbox, so you can still review them if needed.
  • Your block list lives in Settings > Mail > Junk email > Blocked senders, where you can unblock anyone at any time.
  • Blocking only affects new emails — it does not delete or move messages that already arrived before you blocked them.

What happens after you block someone

Once you block a sender, Hotmail routes all their future emails to your Junk folder. They do not bounce back to the sender or trigger a notification — the person has no way to know you blocked them. Their emails straightforward stop appearing in your inbox.

Emails that arrived before you blocked the sender stay in your inbox unless you manually delete or move them. Blocking only affects messages sent after you click the Block button. If you want to clean up old emails from that sender, you will need to delete them yourself or move them to a folder.

Unblock a sender if you change your mind

Go to the gear icon in the top right and select Settings. Click Mail in the left sidebar, then scroll down and click Junk email. You will see a section called Blocked senders with a list of everyone you have blocked.

Find the person you want to unblock and click the X next to their name. They are now unblocked, and their emails will return to your inbox instead of going to Junk. You can unblock and re-block the same person as many times as you need.

Block someone from a forwarded or group email

If an email was forwarded to you or came from a group thread, the Block button may not appear in the menu. In this case, you can still block the original sender by clicking on their name or email address in the message header, then selecting Block from the options that appear.

Group emails and forwarded messages sometimes make blocking trickier because Hotmail shows the forwarder's address rather than the original sender's. If you are unsure whose address to block, hover over the sender's name to see their full email address before you block.

Use Safe Senders and Blocked Senders together

Hotmail also has a Safe Senders list that does the opposite of blocking — it tells Hotmail to always put certain senders in your inbox, even if their emails look suspicious. You can manage both lists in the same place: Settings > Mail > Junk email.

If you accidentally block someone important, adding them to your Safe Senders list does not automatically unblock them. You must first unblock them in the Blocked senders section, then add them to Safe Senders if you want extra protection against them landing in Junk by mistake.

Block a sender who uses multiple email addresses

Some senders use different email addresses to reach you, especially if they know you have blocked them. You will need to block each address separately — there is no way to block an entire domain or all variations of a name at once in Hotmail.

If someone is sending from many different addresses, consider using a mail rule instead. Go to Settings > Mail > Rules and create a rule that moves emails containing certain words or phrases to Junk. This catches variations that blocking alone cannot handle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the blocked person know I blocked them?

No. Blocked senders receive no notification, and their emails do not bounce back to them. Their messages straightforward arrive in your Junk folder instead of your inbox. They have no way to know you blocked them unless you tell them.

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 your Junk folder anytime and read messages from blocked senders. If you decide you want to see their emails in your inbox again, unblock them in Settings > Mail > Junk email > Blocked senders.

What if I block someone by mistake?

Go to Settings > Mail > Junk email > Blocked senders, find their name, and click the X next to it. They are unblocked when ready, and their future emails will go to your inbox again. Old emails from before you unblocked them stay in Junk unless you move them manually.

Can I block an entire email domain?

Hotmail does not have a built-in way to block all addresses from one domain. You must block each sender individually. If you receive many emails from the same domain, create a mail rule instead by going to Settings > Mail > Rules and setting up a filter for that domain.

Will blocking stop emails I already received?

No. Blocking only affects emails sent after you block someone. Messages that arrived before you clicked Block stay in your inbox. You can delete them or move them to a folder yourself, but blocking does not touch old emails.