With so many people using email these days, it’s bound to happen. You receive an email you know is spam, so you delete it and vow never to click a link or open an attachment.
But a few days later, another email arrives with the same subject. So, you open it, and this time, a malware infection steals your password, and bank account information, or initiates a ransomware attack.
To avoid these scenarios, Outlook has a built-in feature that will block all emails from a specific domain. That way, you can whitelist specific emails by domain, but still, keep them all. Here’s how to do it.
Instructions in this article apply to Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, and 2010, as well as Outlook for Microsoft 365.
Steps to Block Domain in Outlook Application
Most of the time spammers use to have numerous email addresses with the same domain, you can block the email address but to get rid of the entire group, you need to block the domain. You can add domains to the block list by using the following steps.
Step 1: Click on Home Tab
Step 2: Select Junk from the Delete section [refer: image below]
Step 3: Click Junk E-mail Options from the dropdown list.
Step 4: The junk Email option dialog box appears, click the Blocked sender option:
Step 5: It’s time to add a Domain name by clicking the ‘Add‘ Button.
Step 6: It is mandatory to enter the Domain name, in a specific format as mentioned in the example (above image). [@example.com, or example.com].
I personally have problems with emails received frequently from magicbricks.com, I already blocked several email addresses of magic bricks, but finally, all email messages are blocked, when I entered the domain and block it.
Step 7: Then click OK to close the Junk E-mail Options dialog. When you receive emails from the blocked domains, the emails will be considered junk emails.
Export List of Domains to Block:
In case you need to add multiple domains to the block sender list, the above method is not entirely helpful, you need to export the list of domains. Let’s understand how it works:
Follow the above steps till Step no 4:
- Now Click on Import from file:
- Outlook import file which you have already prepared to block those domains in your text file in case your file is not ready create a [Text Only] file of all the domains, you need to block in the Outlook application.
- All the domains listed in the Text file will be imported directly to the “Blocked sender list“.
- Simply click Ok to close the files, and from now onwards any email received from any address but with the same domain, will be blocked by Outlook.
How to Remove Blocked Domain from Outlook Application?
After a while, some users realize that the entire emails received from that domain are blocked, in case you need to unblock the domain or allow Outlook to pass emails from a specific email address of the same blocked domain, here is the solution:
- Unblock the Domain.
- Add the Specific email address of that domain into Whitelist [Safe sender List].
To Open your “Blocked sender List“
Open Outlook >> Click Home Tab >> Select Junk from the Delete section >> Click Junk Email Options >> from Junk email options >> Click Block senders.
Select the domain name listed you want to unblock, or you can use Ctrl + Mouse left button to select multiple domain names and click Remove.
Click Ok to close, and now the emails will easily land in your inbox.
Apart from this, you can allow Specific email addresses from your blocked domain, without unblocking the domain.
Here comes the Whitelist (safe sender list) which permits those emails specified in the whitelist to reach your inbox folder.
Click here to learn step by step method to add the email address to the safe sender list.
Shortcut Key to open “Blocked Sender List” in Outlook App
To open the blocked sender list dialog box using the keyboard shortcut:
Alt + HJO + Right array key (three times)
How to Block a Domain in Outlook Web?
Blocking domains in Outlook Web is simple. Once you enter a domain into the Block Sender list, Outlook will block any emails from that domain from ever hitting your inbox.
In addition to blocking domains, you can also add domains to the Contact List. When an email arrives from one of these contacts, it will end up in your Junk folder instead of your inbox.
Follow the steps to block the domain in outlook web:
Step 1: Open Outlook Web (Outlook.com)
Step 2: Click on the settings, gear icon on the top right corner of the screen.
Step 3: Select View all Outlook settings.
Step 4: Select Mail from the left navigation section >> click on Junk email from the extended section.
Step 5: Under Block Senders and Domain section, click Add.
Step 6: Enter the domain name, you like to block for future incoming emails. [for instance, xyz@magicbricks.com, enter magicbricks.com].
Step 7: Click Save and the domain is added to your blocked list. From now onwards when you get an email from that domain, it’s automatically diverted to your Junk Email folder.
Step 8: Close the Settings dialog box
Outlook Web won’t allow users to import files that consist of multiple domain names, as we have learned in the Outlook application.
Remove Blocked Domain from Outlook Web
In case you need to remove the domain from the blocked list, follow the steps up to Step 4 from the above method, and click the delete button in front of the domain name to remove the domain from the blocked domain list.
In case of multiple domains are added to the list and you like to remove more than one from the list you have to click the delete button one by one available in front of every domain name.
Like the Outlook application, you can allow Specific email addresses from your blocked domain, without unblocking the domain.
Here comes the (Safe sender and Domain list) which allow entering your inbox even if the domain is added to the block list.
Open Outlook Web >> Click on settings >> View all Outlook settings >> Select Mail >> Junk Email >> Under Safe Senders and Domain, Click Add and enter the complete email address to mark as safe.
For instance: xyz@magicbricks.com
Now you can easily receive an email without any resistance from the email address entered in the safe sender’s list even if your domain is listed in the blocked domain list (Blacklist).
Final Words
In summary, Outlook blocks only specific domains to prevent spam, phishing, and malware from reaching users. For example, Outlook blocks domains that have been identified as spam sources.
A blocked domain is added to Outlook’s legitimate and blocked senders list. Any messages you receive from the blocked domain are marked as junk.
You can unblock a domain in Outlook but doing so blocks all messages you receive from the blocked domain as well.
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