How to Unblock a Sender in Outlook Mail

To unblock a sender in Outlook, remove their email address or domain from your blocked list: in new Outlook or Outlook on the web, open Settings > Mail > Junk email and remove the entry under Blocked senders and domains; in classic Outlook for Windows, open Home > Junk > Junk E-mail Options > Blocked Senders and choose Remove. The sender can then reach your inbox, although messages already sent to Junk or Deleted Items may need to be moved separately.

The exact controls depend on which Outlook app you use and which account receives your mail. Before changing anything, make sure you know the sender’s correct address and which mailbox they are writing to. Unblocking an address does not guarantee delivery if a rule, spam filter, or organization policy is also redirecting or rejecting the message.

What You’ll Need

Access to the Outlook account where you want to receive the sender’s messages. If you have several accounts, identify the relevant one first.
The sender’s complete email address, or the exact domain you intend to unblock. A domain entry, such as example.com, can affect more senders than a single address.
A web browser or the Outlook app you normally use. The instructions below cover new Outlook for Windows, Outlook on the web, classic Outlook for Windows, and Outlook for Mac.

Step-by-Step

Check which Outlook version and account you are using. New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web have a similar Settings panel. Classic Outlook for Windows has a separate Junk E-mail Options window. Outlook for Mac has its own settings. If you are unsure, open Outlook in a browser and sign in to the mailbox; the web instructions below are a useful way to check the account’s online blocked list.

Pay attention to the address shown in the account switcher or profile menu. A sender may be blocked in one mailbox but not another. If the mail is sent to a work or school account, your organization may also apply filtering rules that you cannot change yourself.
Open the blocked-sender list in new Outlook or Outlook on the web. Select the gear-shaped Settings button, usually near the top-right corner. Select Mail, then Junk email. Find the section named Blocked senders and domains. Depending on the interface, you may need to scroll within the settings pane.

If you do not see Mail or Junk email, confirm that you are in Outlook rather than another Microsoft app, and that the settings pane is fully open. In Outlook.com, the path is also Settings > Mail > Junk email. Labels and the placement of controls can shift slightly as Microsoft updates the interface.
Find the address or domain you want to unblock. Look through the entries under Blocked senders and domains. Check the spelling carefully, including the part after the @ symbol. If the sender’s address is not listed, look for their domain: blocking a domain can stop every address that ends with that domain from reaching the inbox.

Do not remove a similarly named entry just because it looks familiar. For example, a sender using a personal mail service may not be represented by the organization’s website domain. If you are uncertain, compare the blocked entry with the sender’s full address in an old message or ask them to confirm it through another channel.
Remove the matching entry. In new Outlook or Outlook on the web, select the remove or trash-can control beside the address or domain. Some layouts show a checkbox or an edit control before the remove option appears. If the page presents a Save button, select it to apply the change. If there is no Save button, the change is generally applied when you remove the entry.

In classic Outlook for Windows, select Home > Junk > Junk E-mail Options. Open the Blocked Senders tab, select the exact address or domain, and choose Remove. Select Apply if available, then OK to close the dialog. Do not select Remove All unless you intend to clear the entire list.
Use the Mac settings if you manage mail in Outlook for Mac. Open Outlook, choose Outlook > Settings from the menu bar, then open Mail > Junk Email or Junk Email, depending on your version. Find the blocked-senders list, select the unwanted entry, and remove it. If your Mac version does not show that list, sign in to the same mailbox in Outlook on the web and make the change there.

Outlook for Mac menus can differ between newer and older releases. The web method is a practical alternative because it lets you manage the mailbox’s online settings directly. After changing a setting in a desktop app, allow time for it to sync, then check the web mailbox as well.
Look for messages that arrived while the sender was blocked. Check the Junk Email folder and, if necessary, Deleted Items. In Junk Email, select a wanted message and choose Not junk or Report > Not junk, if that option is shown. Move the message to Inbox if Outlook does not do so automatically. Check Deleted Items and restore the message if it is still there.

Unblocking affects future filtering; it does not necessarily retrieve or restore old messages. If a wanted message is missing from both folders, ask the sender to send it again after you have removed the block and checked for other rules.
Test the change and confirm it applies to the right mailbox. Ask the sender to send a brief new message, or wait for their next email. Check Inbox and Junk Email. If it still goes to Junk, mark that message as not junk and inspect other filtering settings before adding the sender as safe.

For a work or school mailbox, a test message may still be held or rejected by an administrator-managed filter. If the sender gets a delivery-failure notice, ask them for the notice details and share them with your organization’s IT support.

Common Mistakes

Removing the wrong entry. A blocked domain and a blocked individual address are different. Removing one does not necessarily remove the other. Match the full address or domain precisely, and avoid deleting unrelated entries from the list.
Changing settings in a different account. Outlook can show several mailboxes at once. A change to a personal Outlook.com account will not necessarily change a work account’s blocked list. Confirm the mailbox before editing settings.
Assuming Not junk unblocks the sender. Marking one message as not junk can help classify that message, but it may not remove an address from the blocked list. Check the blocked-senders settings separately.
Expecting old mail to return automatically. Removing a block does not restore messages that were already deleted, and it may not move messages out of Junk. Search the relevant folders and restore wanted mail yourself.
Forgetting about rules or organization filters. Inbox rules, forwarding settings, focused inbox sorting, security policies, and mail-server filters can affect delivery independently of the blocked list.

Tips

Unblock the individual address when you trust only one person. Remove a domain block only when you want to allow messages from addresses across that whole domain; doing so can let in unwanted mail from other senders there.
Keep the original message or note the exact sender address before changing settings. Display names can be misleading, while the actual address shows which entry to look for.
If a message is in Junk, use Not junk and check whether Outlook offers an option to always trust or add the sender to Safe senders. Use a safe-sender option only if you are confident the messages are legitimate.
For a shared or managed mailbox, ask the mailbox owner or administrator before changing organization-level filtering. Your personal blocked list may not control the filters that apply to everyone.
After changing the list, check Outlook on the web if the desktop app seems out of date. This helps distinguish a sync delay from a change that was made in the wrong account or settings area.

Troubleshooting

The sender is not listed. Check whether the blocked entry is their domain rather than their full email address, and verify that you are viewing the correct mailbox. Then inspect Junk Email, any Inbox rules, and Deleted Items. In new Outlook and Outlook on the web, rules are usually under Settings > Mail > Rules. A rule may move mail even after the sender is unblocked.

The message still goes to Junk. Confirm that the address or domain was removed and that any change was saved. Open the message in Junk Email and choose Not junk. Also check the Junk email settings for a separate blocked entry or other filtering option. If the message is from a work or school account, the organization’s spam controls may override personal settings.

The sender says their message was rejected or bounced. Ask them to forward the delivery-failure notice or provide its error text. A bounce often indicates a server or administrator policy rather than a personal blocked-sender setting. Contact your organization’s IT help desk or the mail administrator; they may need to review a quarantine or allow-list policy.

You cannot find Junk E-mail Options in classic Outlook. Make sure you are using classic Outlook for Windows, not new Outlook. The classic path is Home > Junk > Junk E-mail Options, though the Junk button may be grouped differently in a customized or compact ribbon. In new Outlook, use Settings > Mail > Junk email instead. If your organization has disabled a control, contact its administrator.

The list changes back or does not sync. Reopen the settings and check whether the entry is still absent. Make sure you edited the intended account, refresh Outlook on the web, and allow time for connected devices to update. If settings are managed by an organization or a third-party mail provider, that provider may control the list and restore its own filtering policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does unblocking a sender move their old emails back to my Inbox?
No. It changes how future messages are filtered. Look in Junk Email and Deleted Items, then move or restore any messages you still need. If a message was permanently deleted or never delivered, ask the sender to send it again.

Will the sender know that I unblocked them?
Usually not. Outlook does not normally send a notification when you remove someone from the blocked list. The sender may only notice that later messages are no longer rejected or filtered in the same way.

Should I unblock an email address or its entire domain?
Choose the specific address if you want to receive mail from one person. Remove a domain block only if you trust messages from the broader domain, since that can affect multiple senders using it.

Is marking a message as Not junk enough?
Not always. It tells Outlook that a particular message should not be treated as junk, but a separate blocked-senders entry may remain. Remove the matching entry from the blocked list as well, then check whether the message reaches Inbox.

Why can I not unblock a sender in my work Outlook account?
Your organization may control spam filtering, quarantine, or blocked senders centrally. You may also be viewing a personal mailbox instead of the work mailbox. Check the correct account, then contact IT if the entry is not editable or messages are still rejected.

Do the steps work for Outlook.com?
Yes. Sign in to the correct Outlook.com mailbox, open Settings > Mail > Junk email, and remove the address or domain under Blocked senders and domains. Check Junk Email afterward for messages that arrived before the change.

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