Where to find your blocked senders list

Yahoo Mail stores blocked addresses in your account settings, not in your inbox. Open Yahoo Mail, click the gear icon in the top right corner, then select Settings. From there, click Security and privacy in the left sidebar, then scroll down to find Blocked addresses. This section shows every email address you have blocked and lets you remove them one at a time.

The blocked addresses list is separate from spam filters or rules you may have created. Blocking an address directly prevents that sender's emails from reaching your inbox — they go nowhere, and you won't see a notification. Unblocking reverses only that action and does not affect any other filters or rules tied to that sender.

Key Takeaways

  • Blocked addresses live in Settings under Security and privacy, not in your inbox or spam folder.
  • Unblocking an address takes one click and happens when ready — emails from that sender will reach your inbox starting with the next message they send.
  • Unblocking does not restore old emails that arrived while the address was blocked; those messages are permanently deleted.
  • You can block or unblock addresses one at a time through Settings, or create rules that automatically sort future emails from a sender into a folder.

Steps to unblock a sender

Once you are in the Blocked addresses section, find the address you want to unblock in the list. Click the X or Remove button next to that address — the exact label depends on your Yahoo Mail version. The address is unblocked when ready. You do not need to save or confirm anything; the change takes effect right away.

If your blocked list is long, use the search box at the top of the Blocked addresses section to find the sender quickly by typing their email address or name. This is faster than scrolling through a full list, especially if you have blocked many addresses over time.

What happens after you unblock

Once you unblock an address, that sender's emails will arrive in your inbox normally starting with their next message. Yahoo Mail does not restore emails that arrived while the address was blocked — those messages are deleted permanently and cannot be recovered. If you need to see old correspondence with that sender, you will have to ask them to resend it.

Unblocking does not undo any other filters, rules, or labels you may have set up for that sender. If you created a rule that automatically moves their emails to a folder, that rule stays in place. If you want to change how their future emails are handled, you can edit or delete those rules separately in the Filters section of Settings.

Blocking and unblocking on mobile

The Yahoo Mail app on iPhone or Android does not have a dedicated blocked addresses section in the same way the website does. To unblock someone on mobile, open the Yahoo Mail app, go to Menu (three horizontal lines), tap Settings, then Security and privacy. Scroll to Blocked addresses and tap the address you want to unblock, then select Remove or Unblock.

If you cannot find the Blocked addresses option in the mobile app, sign into Yahoo Mail through your phone's web browser instead. The full website version works the same way as the desktop version and gives you access to all the same settings.

Difference between blocking and other filters

Blocking an address is the most severe action — it stops all emails from that sender before they reach any folder. A filter or rule, by contrast, lets emails arrive but automatically sorts them into a specific folder, marks them as spam, or applies a label. If you want to see emails from someone but keep them out of your main inbox, a filter is gentler than a block.

You can create a filter by going to Settings, clicking Filters and blocked addresses, then Add new filter. From there, you can tell Yahoo Mail to automatically move emails from a specific sender into a folder like Spam or a custom folder you create. This way, you can review the emails later if you change your mind, rather than having them deleted outright.

If you cannot find the blocked addresses section

Older Yahoo Mail accounts or accounts set to a different language may have the Blocked addresses option in a slightly different location. Try clicking Settings, then look for Privacy or Blocked senders instead of Security and privacy. If you still cannot find it, sign out and sign back in to make sure you are using the current version of Yahoo Mail.

If the option does not appear after signing out and back in, contact Yahoo Mail support through the Help section in Settings. They can confirm whether your account type has access to the blocking feature or help you locate it if it has been moved in your version.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I unblock someone without them knowing?

Yes. Unblocking an address is a change only you see in your account settings. The sender has no way to know you unblocked them unless you tell them or they send you an email and you reply. Yahoo Mail does not notify senders when they are blocked or unblocked.

What if I blocked someone by accident?

Go to Settings, click Security and privacy, find the address in your Blocked addresses list, and click Remove. The unblock is when ready. If you are worried you may block people by accident in the future, be careful when right-clicking on an email — one of the menu options is "Block sender," and it is straightforward to click by mistake.

Do blocked emails go to spam or are they deleted?

Blocked emails are deleted permanently — they do not go to your spam folder or any other folder where you can see them. This is why unblocking does not restore old messages. If you want to keep emails from someone but hide them, use a filter to move them to a folder instead of blocking.

Can I block an entire domain instead of one email address?

Yahoo Mail's block feature works on individual email addresses only, not entire domains. If you want to block all emails from a company domain like example.com, you will need to create a filter that catches emails from anyone at that domain and moves them to spam or a folder.