Unblocking an email sender in Gmail

To unblock an email address in Gmail, open your settings, find the blocked address in your blocklist, and click the unblock button next to it. The sender can then email you normally again, and their messages will arrive in your inbox instead of being filtered out. This takes about one minute.

Gmail does not send a notification to the sender when you unblock them. They will not know you had blocked their address unless you tell them. Once unblocked, any new emails from that address will behave like mail from any other contact — they will land in your inbox, spam folder, or a label depending on your other filter rules.

Key Takeaways

  • You reach your blocklist through Gmail settings under the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab, not from your inbox.
  • Unblocking removes the block but does not retroactively deliver old emails that were rejected while the address was blocked.
  • The sender receives no notification that you unblocked them.
  • After unblocking, emails from that address follow your normal inbox rules and may still land in spam if Gmail's filters flag them.

Step-by-step: finding and unblocking an address

Start by opening Gmail in your web browser and clicking the gear icon in the top right corner. Select See all settings from the dropdown menu. This opens your full settings page.

Click the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab near the top. Scroll down until you see the Blocked addresses section. This lists every address you have blocked. Find the one you want to unblock and click the Unblock button to its right. Gmail will ask you to confirm — click Unblock again to finish.

Close the settings page or click back to your inbox. The address is now unblocked. You do not need to restart Gmail or refresh your browser.

What happens to old emails from a blocked sender

When you block an address in Gmail, new emails from that sender are rejected and do not appear anywhere in your account — not in spam, not in trash, nowhere. If you unblock the address later, Gmail does not go back and deliver those rejected emails. They are gone permanently.

This means if someone emailed you while blocked and you unblock them, you will not suddenly see their old messages. Only emails that arrive after you unblock the address will reach your inbox. If you need to see what they sent while blocked, you will have to ask them to resend it.

Unblocking on Gmail mobile app

The Gmail mobile app (on iPhone or Android) does not have a direct way to view or manage your blocklist. To unblock an address using your phone, you must open Gmail in your mobile web browser instead of the app. Go to gmail.com, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines), scroll down to Settings, then follow the same steps as above: Filters and Blocked Addresses tab, find the address, and tap Unblock.

After you unblock on the web, the change takes effect when ready on the mobile app as well. You do not need to sign out or refresh.

Blocking an address again if needed

If you unblock someone and later decide you want to block them again, open an email from that sender and click the three-dot menu icon at the top right of the email. Select Block [sender name] from the dropdown. Gmail will ask you to confirm. Click Block and the address goes back on your blocklist.

You can also block an address from settings the same way you unblocked it — go to Filters and Blocked Addresses, but this time look for the Create a new filter option and enter the address you want to block.

When unblocking does not stop unwanted mail

Sometimes you unblock an address but emails from that sender still land in your spam folder instead of your inbox. This happens when Gmail's spam filters flag the sender as suspicious, separate from your manual block. Unblocking only removes your personal block — it does not override Gmail's automatic spam detection.

If this occurs, open an email from that sender in your spam folder and click the Not spam button at the top. This tells Gmail to trust that sender and deliver their future emails to your inbox. You may need to do this a few times before Gmail learns to stop filtering them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I unblock multiple addresses at once?

No. Gmail requires you to unblock addresses one at a time through the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab. There is no bulk unblock option. If you have blocked many addresses, you will need to click unblock for each one individually.

Will the sender know I unblocked them?

No. Gmail does not notify senders when you unblock their address. The sender will only know if you tell them or if they notice their emails are reaching you again after a period of silence.

What if I forgot which address I blocked?

Your blocklist shows the full email addresses of everyone you blocked. Go to Settings, click Filters and Blocked Addresses, and scroll to the Blocked addresses section. Every blocked address is listed there. If you do not recognize an address, you can unblock it to check, or ask someone who might know who it belongs to.

Do I need to unblock someone if they email me from a different address?

Yes. Blocking works on individual email addresses, not on people. If you blocked john@example.com and that person emails you from john.smith@work.com, the second address is not blocked. You would need to block that address separately if you want to block it.

Can I block an address without unblocking it first?

Yes. You can block as many addresses as you want at any time. Blocking a new address does not affect your existing blocklist. Each address you block is independent.