Unblock a sender in Outlook on the web

If you blocked someone in Outlook on the web, you can unblock them by opening your blocked senders list and removing their address. The blocked sender will then be able to send you emails again, and their messages will arrive in your inbox instead of the junk folder.

Start by signing into Outlook.com or your work email account. In the top right corner, click the gear icon, then select View all Outlook settings. From the left menu, click Mail, then Junk email. You will see a section called Blocked senders with a list of every address you have blocked.

Find the email address you want to unblock and click the trash icon next to it. Outlook will remove them from your blocked list when ready. The next time they send you an email, it will go to your inbox like any other message.

Key Takeaways

  • Unblocking in Outlook on the web takes three steps: open Settings, go to Junk email, and delete the address from your Blocked senders list.
  • In Outlook desktop, right-click a message from the blocked sender and choose Junk, then Never Block Sender to unblock them.
  • Unblocking someone removes them from your blocked list but does not retrieve emails they sent while they were blocked.
  • If you blocked a domain instead of a single address, you must remove the domain name the same way you would remove an address.

Unblock a sender in Outlook desktop

In Outlook on your computer, the fastest way to unblock someone is to find an email they sent you and use the Junk menu. Open the message from the person you want to unblock. At the top of the message, click Junk (or Spam depending on your version), then select Never Block Sender.

Outlook will when ready remove them from your blocked list. If you do not have a recent email from that person, you can also unblock them through your settings. Click File in the top left, then Options, then Trust Center, then Trust Center Settings. Click Blocked Senders, find the address, select it, and click Remove.

Unblock a domain instead of a single address

If you blocked an entire domain (like @company.com) rather than one person's email address, you unblock it the same way you would unblock a single sender. In Outlook on the web, go to Settings, Junk email, and find the domain name in your Blocked senders list. Click the trash icon next to it.

In Outlook desktop, click File, Options, Trust Center, Trust Center Settings, then Blocked Senders. Find the domain, select it, and click Remove. Once you remove it, anyone from that domain can send you emails again.

What happens after you unblock someone

When you unblock an address, Outlook stops sending that person's emails to your junk folder. Their messages will arrive in your inbox with other regular mail. However, unblocking does not retrieve emails they sent while they were blocked — those messages remain in your junk folder or deleted items, depending on your settings.

If you want to read emails they sent during the time they were blocked, you will need to check your junk folder or deleted items folder manually. You can move those messages back to your inbox if you want to keep them.

Unblock someone you blocked by mistake

If you blocked someone by accident, unblock them as soon as you realize the mistake. The sooner you remove them from your blocked list, the sooner their emails will reach your inbox. They will not know they were blocked, and unblocking them does not send them any notification.

Keep in mind that if they sent you emails while they were blocked, you will not see those messages in your inbox automatically. Check your junk folder to see if their emails ended up there, and move any you want to keep back to your inbox.

Difference between blocking and marking as spam

Blocking and marking as spam are two different actions in Outlook. When you block someone, their emails go to your junk folder and you will not see them. When you mark an email as spam, you are telling Outlook that type of message is unwanted, but the sender is not necessarily blocked.

If you only marked someone as spam but did not block them, their future emails might still reach your inbox — Outlook just learned that similar messages are usually junk. To completely stop receiving emails from someone, you need to block them, not just mark one email as spam.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I unblock someone if I do not have an email from them?

Yes. In Outlook on the web, go to Settings, Junk email, and find their address in your Blocked senders list, then delete it. In Outlook desktop, go to File, Options, Trust Center, Trust Center Settings, Blocked Senders, find their address, and click Remove. You do not need a message from them to unblock them.

Will the person know I unblocked them?

No. Unblocking someone does not send them any notification or message. They will not know you had blocked them or that you have now unblocked them. They will only know if their emails start reaching you and you tell them.

What if I unblock someone and then want to block them again?

You can block them again at any time. In Outlook on the web, open one of their emails, click Junk, then Block Sender. In Outlook desktop, right-click their message, click Junk, then Block Sender. They will go back on your blocked list when ready.

Do unblocked emails from the past show up in my inbox?

No. Unblocking someone does not move their old emails from your junk folder to your inbox. You have to find those messages manually in your junk folder and move them yourself if you want to read them. Unblocking only affects new emails they send you going forward.

Can I unblock a domain on my phone?

On the Outlook mobile app, you can unblock a sender by opening Settings, then Junk email, then finding the blocked address and removing it. The steps are similar to the web version but the menu layout is slightly different depending on whether you use iPhone or Android.