Where to find blocked senders in your email program

The steps to unblock an email address depend on which email service you use. Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, and Apple Mail all store blocked addresses in different places, and the unblocking process takes only a few clicks once you know where to look.

Most email programs keep a blocklist or blocked senders list in your settings or preferences. You access it through a menu, find the address you want to unblock, and remove it from the list. The blocked sender can then send you messages again, and their emails will arrive in your inbox like any other message.

Key Takeaways

  • Gmail stores blocked addresses in Settings under Filters and Blocked Addresses, where you can unblock by clicking the trash icon next to each address.
  • Outlook (both web and desktop) keeps blocked senders in Settings under Mail, Junk Email, and Blocked Senders, and you remove them by selecting and deleting.
  • Yahoo Mail blocks addresses through the Blocked List in Settings, accessible from the gear icon in the top right corner.
  • Apple Mail on Mac and iPhone stores blocked senders differently — on Mac you use VIP or Rules, and on iPhone you go to Settings, Mail, and Blocked Contact List.
  • After you unblock an address, old messages from that sender may still be in your spam or trash folder and will not automatically move to your inbox.

Unblocking in Gmail

Open Gmail and click the gear icon in the top right corner, then select See all settings. Go to the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab. You will see a list of every email address you have blocked. Find the one you want to unblock and click the trash icon next to it. The address is now unblocked.

Once you unblock an address in Gmail, new messages from that sender will go to your inbox. Messages they sent while they were blocked will still be in your spam folder — Gmail does not move them automatically. You can search for their address in your spam folder and move individual messages back to your inbox if you want to read them.

Unblocking in Outlook

In Outlook on the web, click the gear icon and select View all Outlook settings. Go to Mail, then Junk email, then Blocked senders. You will see your list of blocked addresses. Click the address you want to unblock, then click the minus sign or delete button. The address is now unblocked.

In Outlook on your desktop computer, the path is similar. Open Outlook, go to File, then Options, then Trust Center, then Trust Center Settings, then Junk Email. Select the Blocked Senders tab, find the address, and click Remove. Like Gmail, Outlook does not move old blocked messages to your inbox automatically — you will need to find them in spam and move them yourself if you want to read them.

Unblocking in Yahoo Mail

Click the gear icon in the top right corner of Yahoo Mail and select Settings. Click Security and privacy on the left side. Scroll down to Blocked List and click Manage. You will see all the addresses you have blocked. Find the one you want to unblock and click the X or remove button next to it.

Yahoo Mail will ask you to confirm that you want to unblock the address. Click yes, and the address is removed from your blocklist. New messages from that sender will arrive in your inbox going forward. Messages they sent while blocked remain in your spam folder unless you move them manually.

Unblocking on Apple Mail and iPhone

Apple Mail on Mac does not have a traditional blocklist like Gmail or Outlook. Instead, you block senders by marking them as spam or by creating rules. To unblock someone, you need to undo the action you took. If you marked them as spam, open your spam folder, find their message, right-click it, and select Not Spam. This tells Apple Mail to stop filtering their messages.

On iPhone, go to Settings, then Mail, then Blocked Contact List. You will see addresses you have blocked. Swipe left on the address you want to unblock and tap Unblock. On iPad, the path is the same. After you unblock, messages from that sender will go to your inbox instead of being filtered.

What happens after you unblock an address

Unblocking an address does not restore old messages to your inbox. Messages the sender wrote while they were blocked stay in your spam or trash folder. If you want to read those messages, you will need to search for the sender's address in your spam folder and move the messages you want to keep.

Once unblocked, the sender's future messages will arrive normally. If you are worried about messages from this address going to spam again, you can add them to your contacts or create a filter rule that sends their messages to a specific folder. This prevents them from being filtered automatically in the future.

Unblocking a sender you cannot find in your blocklist

If you cannot find an address in your blocklist, the sender may have been filtered by a spam rule instead of being manually blocked. Check your spam folder for messages from that address. If you find them, mark them as not spam or move them to your inbox. This tells your email program to stop filtering that sender.

Another reason you might not see an address in your blocklist is if you blocked them a long time ago and forgot. Search your email for messages from that sender — if you find old messages in spam, that is a sign they were blocked. You can also check whether your email provider has a rule or filter that catches messages from that address. In Gmail, this would be in Filters and Blocked Addresses. In Outlook, check your Junk Email rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will unblocking someone restore their old messages to my inbox?

No. Unblocking only stops future messages from being filtered. Old messages stay in your spam or trash folder. You can search for the sender's address and move individual messages back to your inbox if you want to read them, but your email program will not move them automatically.

Can I block and unblock the same person multiple times?

Yes. You can block and unblock any address as many times as you want. There is no limit to how many times you can add or remove someone from your blocklist. Each time you unblock, their future messages will arrive in your inbox again.

What if I unblock someone but their messages still go to spam?

Your email program may have a separate spam filter or rule that is catching their messages. Check your spam folder to confirm their messages are still being filtered. In Gmail, look for rules in Filters and Blocked Addresses. In Outlook, check Junk Email rules. You may need to create a rule that tells your email program to trust messages from that sender.

Do I need to unblock someone on my phone and computer separately?

It depends on your email service. Gmail and Outlook sync your blocklist across devices, so unblocking on one device unblocks them everywhere. Apple Mail and some other services keep separate lists on each device, so you may need to unblock them in multiple places.

Can I unblock multiple addresses at once?

Most email programs require you to unblock addresses one at a time. Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo Mail do not have a bulk unblock feature. If you have many addresses to unblock, you will need to go through them individually, which usually takes only a few seconds per address.