The fastest way to unblock an email in Outlook

To unblock an email address in Outlook, open any message from that sender, right-click their name or email address, and select Add to Safe Senders. This moves them out of the blocked list when ready. If you cannot find a recent message from them, go to the Home tab, select Junk, then Junk Email Options, click the Blocked Senders tab, highlight the address you want to unblock, and click Remove.

The process is the same whether you use Outlook on your desktop, Outlook on the web, or Outlook on a phone. The blocked sender list is stored with your account, so unblocking on one device unblocks them everywhere.

Key Takeaways

  • Right-click a sender's name and choose Add to Safe Senders to unblock them when ready if you have a message from them.
  • If you do not have a recent message, go to Home > Junk > Junk Email Options > Blocked Senders tab to find and remove the address.
  • Unblocking on one device (desktop, web, or phone) unblocks the sender on all your devices because the list is tied to your account.
  • After unblocking, their future emails will arrive in your inbox instead of the junk folder, but old blocked messages stay in junk unless you move them.

Why emails get blocked in Outlook

Outlook blocks senders in two ways: you can block them manually, or Outlook's junk filter can flag them automatically. Manual blocks are stronger — those messages go straight to junk. Automatic junk filtering is weaker and can change based on your email patterns and what Outlook learns about spam trends.

When you unblock a sender, you are removing them from your manual blocked list. This does not prevent Outlook's automatic filters from flagging future emails as junk if they match spam patterns, but it stops the hard block you created yourself.

Unblocking on Outlook desktop

Open Outlook and go to the Home tab at the top. Click Junk (the button with a trash icon), then select Junk Email Options from the dropdown menu. A window will open with four tabs: Options, Safe Senders, Safe Recipients, and Blocked Senders.

Click the Blocked Senders tab. You will see a list of every email address or domain you have blocked. Find the one you want to unblock, click it once to highlight it, then click the Remove button. Click OK to save the change. The sender is now unblocked.

If you have a recent email from the person you want to unblock, there is a faster route: open that message, right-click their name or email address in the From field, and select Add to Safe Senders. This unblocks them and adds them to your safe list at the same time, which tells Outlook to trust their future emails.

Unblocking on Outlook on the web

Log into your Outlook account at outlook.office.com or outlook.live.com. Click the gear icon in the top right corner and select View all Outlook settings. In the left sidebar, go to Mail > Junk email.

You will see three fields: Safe Senders and Domains, Safe Mailing Lists, and Blocked Senders and Domains. Click in the Blocked Senders and Domains field. Find the address you want to unblock, click the X next to it, and click Save at the bottom of the page.

The web version does not have a right-click shortcut, so you must use the settings menu. Changes save automatically once you click Save, and they take effect on all your devices within a few minutes.

Unblocking on Outlook mobile apps

On the Outlook mobile app for iPhone or Android, open a message from the sender you want to unblock. Tap their name or email address at the top of the message. A card will appear with their contact details. Tap the three dots (more options) and select Add to Safe Senders or Unblock, depending on your app version.

If you do not have a recent message from them, go to Settings > Mail > Junk Email and look for a Blocked Senders section. Not all mobile versions show this list, so the right-click method on a message is usually faster on a phone.

What happens after you unblock someone

Once you unblock a sender, their future emails will arrive in your inbox instead of junk. However, emails they sent while they were blocked stay in your junk folder — unblocking does not move old messages. You can move them manually if you want to keep them.

If the sender's emails still land in junk after you unblock them, Outlook's automatic spam filter may be catching them. This happens when their email looks like spam to the filter, even though you trust them. In that case, add them to your Safe Senders list instead of just unblocking them. Safe Senders tells Outlook to always trust that address, which overrides the automatic filter.

Unblocking a domain instead of a single address

If you blocked an entire domain (like @company.com) instead of a single email address, the unblocking process is the same. Go to Junk Email Options > Blocked Senders, find the domain name in the list, select it, and click Remove. After that, anyone from that domain can email you normally.

Be careful when unblocking a domain, because it unblocks everyone at that organization. If you only want to trust one person from a large company, unblock the domain but then add only that person's address to your Safe Senders list. This way, you control which people from that domain you trust most.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Yes. Go to Home > Junk > Junk Email Options > Blocked Senders tab, find their address, and click Remove. You do not need a message from them to unblock them — the blocked list is separate from your inbox.

Will unblocking someone remove old emails from my junk folder?

No. Unblocking only affects future emails. Old messages stay in junk unless you move them manually. If you want to keep them, go to your junk folder, select the messages, and move them to your inbox or another folder.

What is the difference between unblocking and adding to Safe Senders?

Unblocking removes a sender from your blocked list. Adding to Safe Senders tells Outlook to trust them and bypass the automatic spam filter. If someone's emails keep landing in junk even after unblocking, add them to Safe Senders instead.

If I unblock someone on my phone, will they be unblocked on my desktop too?

Yes. Your blocked senders list is stored with your Outlook account, not on the device itself. Unblocking on any device (phone, desktop, or web) unblocks them everywhere within a few minutes.

How do I know if someone is actually blocked or just in my junk folder?

Check your Junk Email Options > Blocked Senders tab. If their address is listed there, they are blocked. If they are not on that list, their emails may just be caught by the automatic spam filter instead.