Key Takeaways
- Steps differ by version: Outlook.com and New Outlook use Settings → Mail → Junk email; Classic Outlook uses Junk → Junk E-mail Options → Blocked Senders tab
- Mobile unblocking is possible: open the email in your Junk folder, tap ⋯, and select the unblock option — the mobile app has no blocked list settings screen, but you can unblock from individual messages
- Sender is not notified: unblocking is completely silent — no email, no notification, no indication of any change
- Old Junk emails don't move automatically: unblocking only affects future messages; emails that arrived while the sender was blocked stay in Junk unless you move them manually
- Still going to Junk after unblocking? Remove from Blocked Senders is not always enough — add them to Safe Senders to guarantee inbox delivery
- Domain unblocking: Outlook.com and New Outlook list blocked domains in the same Junk email settings panel; Classic Outlook manages them in the Blocked Senders tab
How to Unblock Senders in Outlook.com
- Log in to mail.outlook.com and click the Settings gear icon at the top right.
- Go to Mail → Junk email.
- Under Blocked senders and domains, find the address you want to unblock.
- Click the X next to the address to remove it.
- Click Save.
Future emails from that address will be delivered to your inbox. The sender is not notified.
💡 Note: These steps also apply to Hotmail accounts — Hotmail is now Outlook.com and uses the same interface.
How to Unblock Senders in New Outlook for Windows
New Outlook for Windows uses the same settings interface as Outlook.com.
- Open New Outlook and click the Settings gear icon.
- Go to Mail → Junk email.
- Under Blocked senders and domains, click the X next to the address you want to unblock.
- Click Save.
To unblock directly from a message in your Junk folder:
- Open the email in your Junk folder.
- Click ⋯ More actions at the top of the email.
- Select Unblock sender and confirm.
💡 Tip: Not sure which version you have? If you see a Junk button in the Home toolbar, you're on Classic Outlook. If you see a ⋯ menu but no Junk toolbar button, you're on New Outlook. See How to Block Emails on Outlook for the full version guide.
How to Unblock Senders in Classic Outlook for Windows
These steps apply to Classic Outlook 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Microsoft 365 desktop.
- In the Home tab toolbar, click Junk → Junk E-mail Options.
- Go to the Blocked Senders tab.
- Select the address you want to unblock.
- Click Remove.
- Click Apply, then OK to save.
To unblock multiple senders at once, hold Ctrl while selecting addresses in the list, then click Remove.
How to Unblock Senders on Outlook Mobile
Option 1: Use Clean Email to View and Unblock Blocked Senders on Mobile
If you want a clear list of blocked senders on your phone, Clean Email is the easiest option because it has full-featured iOS and Android apps and lets you manage blocked senders in one place.
Open the Clean Email app on your mobile device and sign in with your Outlook account. Go to Sender and choose Blocked on the top, find the sender you want to unblock, and remove them from the blocked list. This is helpful if you don’t remember which senders you blocked or want to review several blocked contacts at once.
Option 2: Unblock a Sender in the Outlook Mobile App
The Outlook mobile app does not have a blocked senders settings screen, but you can unblock directly from a message in your Junk folder.
Open the Outlook app and navigate to the Junk folder by tapping the folder icon in the bottom menu. Find and open an email from the sender you want to unblock. Tap the ⋯ three dots at the top right of the email, then tap Unblock sender and confirm.
To view and manage your full blocked list on a phone, open mail.outlook.com in your mobile browser and follow the Outlook.com steps above.
How to Unblock Senders in Outlook for Mac
⚠️ Note: In Outlook for Mac, the Block/Unblock commands in the message menu are only available for Microsoft/Exchange accounts (Outlook.com, Hotmail, Microsoft 365 work accounts). For all account types, you can always unblock via Tools → Junk Email Preferences → Blocked Senders and Domains.
- Open the Outlook app on your Mac.
- In the menu bar, click Outlook → Tools → Junk Email Preferences.
- Go to the Blocked Senders and Domains tab.
- Select the email address or domain you want to unblock.
- Click Remove (minus icon), then close the window to save your changes.
How to Unblock an Entire Domain
If you previously blocked an entire domain (e.g., @example.com), removing it follows the same path as unblocking an individual address.
In Outlook.com and New Outlook: Go to Settings → Mail → Junk email → Blocked senders and domains, find the domain entry, and click the X to remove it. Click Save.
In Classic Outlook: Go to Junk → Junk E-mail Options → Blocked Senders tab, select the domain entry, click Remove → Apply → OK.
If you blocked the domain via Clean Email's Auto Clean: Go to the Auto Clean dashboard, find the rule for that domain, and delete it. Removing the rule stops future enforcement but does not restore any messages already moved to Trash.
What Happens After You Unblock Someone
Is the sender notified? No. Unblocking is completely silent — the sender receives no email, no notification, and no indication that anything changed.
Do old Junk emails come back? No. Unblocking only affects future messages. Emails that arrived while the sender was blocked are still in your Junk folder — move them to your inbox manually if you need them. Outlook auto-empties Junk after 30 days, so act before then if older messages matter.
When do new emails start arriving? Immediately. The next message from that address is delivered normally — unless Outlook's own spam filter catches it first (see below).
Emails Still Going to Junk After Unblocking
This is the most common issue after unblocking someone. Removing a sender from Blocked Senders stops the explicit block, but Outlook's server-side spam filter runs independently and may still route their messages to Junk.
The fix is to add them to your Safe Senders list, which overrides the spam filter and guarantees inbox delivery:
In Outlook.com and New Outlook:
- Go to Settings → Mail → Junk email.
- Under Safe senders and domains, click + Add.
- Enter the address or domain and press Enter to save.
In Classic Outlook:
- Go to Junk → Junk E-mail Options → Safe Senders tab.
- Click Add, type the address or domain, and click OK → Apply → OK.
You can also add someone to Safe Senders directly from a Junk message: open it, click ⋯ More actions (Outlook.com / New Outlook) or Junk (Classic Outlook), and choose Never block sender or Not junk.
Managing Your Blocked List With Clean Email
Outlook's built-in blocked list is available in Settings on the web, but there's no way to sort or search it — and on mobile there's no list view at all.
Clean Email's Senders view gives you a dedicated Blocked tab that works across web, iOS, Android, and Mac, with sorting by date blocked, message count, or sender name.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I find a sender in my Outlook blocked list?
If you marked their messages as Junk rather than explicitly blocking them, they won't appear in Blocked Senders — Outlook's spam filter and the Blocked Senders list are separate systems. Also check you're looking in the right location for your version: Outlook.com/New Outlook uses Settings → Mail → Junk email; Classic Outlook uses Junk → Junk E-mail Options → Blocked Senders tab.
