Recently, I encountered a problem where I couldn’t receive an important email in my Outlook inbox.
After conducting a thorough investigation, I discovered that my inbox had exceeded its limit, primarily due to a large number of spam emails that I had no interest in.
Unwanted emails not only clutter the inbox but also result in frequent email notifications, which can be quite disruptive, especially when I’m in the middle of important tasks like presentations.
The abundance of unwanted emails often stems from unnecessary subscriptions or inadvertently sharing my email address with various individuals or websites.
It is crucial to address these issues and improve the overall management of emails to ensure a smooth and efficient experience.
In this article, you will learn step by step tutorial on “How to block email addresses in Outlook“.
Block an Email Address in Outlook
Once you subscribe to unnecessary websites, or somehow you don’t need anymore, the “Unsubscribe” feature just isn’t enough to delete spam. Here you can block or restrict unwanted email/s in your inbox.
There are a couple of ways you can execute the process; Let’s get started with the direct option which immediately blocks the email sender.
- Lunch Outlook 2013, 2017, 2019, 365
- Select the email which causing trouble for you.
- Click the Home Tab from the top left corner of the screen.
- Select Junk from the delete section >> Block Sender
- Clicking on Block Sender required final confirmation from Outlook, and hitting an OK button on the message popup completes the process.
Or you can simply click the right mouse button after selecting a specific email and click junk >> Block Sender
In both the options the result is the same, this strategy doesn’t work for multiple senders.
Create Block List
Outlook is smart programming, it provides the user to create a block list, with the name or email address or the entire domain.
- Click Home Tab >> Select ‘Junk’ >> ‘Junk E-mail Options’.
- Junk Email options pop up appears >> Select Blocked Sender Tab
- Click Add
- In the “Enter an e-mail address or Internet domain name to be added to the list” box, enter the name or address that you want to add. You can enter according to the below pattern:
- Someone@domain.com
- @domain.com
- domain.com
Finally, Click Ok it’s immediately moved to the Junk Email folder, in case of multiple email addresses for different domains, repeat the process and you can observe the list of the blocked email addresses.
Create Block List Using Import from File
In the above example, you can add multiple email addresses or domains to block them from your inbox, but frankly speaking, entering email addresses individually is read time-consuming process, Outlook import from file feature allows the user to directly import all your cooperate addresses into block list instantly with a single click.
Here is the step-by-step process:
In the Junk Email options pop up, click to import from file >> select the text file having the list of the email address and domain you like to block, (outlook allows an only text file to upload).
Once you select the text file and click open, all your addresses are automatically added to the list of the blocked sender. Click Ok to complete. Need to add any other email address go to the blocked sender list and repeat the process to add more, you can also edit or remove any address or domain according to your requirement.
Block email addresses from different countries/regions in Outlook
You may find unwanted email messages come from other countries/regions too. Outlook allows you to block certain email messages from those areas.
Although the above process can also help to block those emails, Outlook blocks messages from email addresses that end in a particular top-level domain or country/region code.
- Click Home Tab >> Click Junk from the delete section >> then click Junk E-mail Options
- Select the International tab >> click Blocked Top-Level Domain List
The Blocked Top-Level Domains List lets you block messages that come from email addresses ending with a specific country code AF (Afghanistan), IN (India), or AU (Australia), there are numerous countries, which you can block by simply selecting the checkbox.
Block an Email Address in Outlook Web
Outlook.com (web) platform blocks messages from specific email addresses or domains from reaching your inbox. Outlook sweep feature removing (deleting) or moving unwanted emails from a specific sender’s email.
Here is the step-by-step process to block the specific domain in OWA.
- Open Outlook.com
- Go to the settings gear icon in the top right-hand corner of your screen.
- Click view all outlook setting
- Select Mail >> Junk Mail
- In the Blocked Senders and Domains section, select Add. Then enter the domain you want to block.
- You can enter according to the below pattern.
- Someone@domain.com
- domain.com
- Click Save and close the window
Most of the time, this process works for me and resists unwanted emails hitting my inbox, it also saves your storage capacity, and you can enjoy the service smoothly.
How to unblock email in Outlook?
I personally wonder why I am not receiving emails from a specific domain, first I checked the storage capacity, its available, I figured out, some of the domains I blocked, but sometimes I really need to receive those emails, in case I need emails from that specific domain or sender, here is the step:
Outlook unblocks the sender by reversing the above blocking process.
There are two methods
- Remove the domain added to the blocked list.
- Or add the specific email address in the safe sender list of that blocked domain.
Follow the steps:
- Click Home Tab >> Select “Junk” >> “Junk E-mail Options”.
- In the Junk Email Options dialog box, select the Safe Senders tab:
- Click Add, to add a new sender to the Safe Senders list and enter the email address or domain.
Click Ok, this process is quite simple, from now onwards email message received from a specific email address doesn’t resist by Outlook.
Tips for Handling Unwanted Emails in Outlook
Handling unwanted emails in Outlook can be a challenge, but there are several effective strategies you can use to manage them more efficiently.
Here are some tips for handling unwanted emails:
Mark as Spam: Use the spam or junk email feature in Outlook to mark unwanted emails as spam. This helps train the spam filters and sends future similar emails directly to the spam folder.
Unsubscribe: If you receive unwanted emails from legitimate senders, look for the unsubscribe link usually found at the bottom of the email. Clicking on it should remove you from their mailing list.
Set up Filters/Rules: Utilize Outlook’s filtering or rules feature to automatically move unwanted emails to specific folders or delete them. You can create rules based on sender, subject, or other criteria to better organize your inbox.
Block Senders: As discussed in the previous section, block email addresses or domains from which you consistently receive unwanted emails. This prevents those senders from reaching your inbox.
Use the Sweep Feature: Outlook’s Sweep feature allows you to quickly clean up your inbox by deleting or moving unwanted emails from a specific sender. You can choose to delete all emails from that sender or keep only the latest one.
Report Phishing Attempts: If you receive suspicious emails attempting to steal your personal information, report them as phishing attempts. Outlook has built-in tools to report phishing emails, helping to protect yourself and others.
Manage Notifications: Adjust your notification settings to minimize interruptions from unwanted emails. Customize your email alerts to only receive notifications for important emails or set specific quiet hours to avoid disturbances during specific times.
Regularly Review and Clean Up: Take the time to review and clean up your inbox regularly. Delete unnecessary emails, unsubscribe from mailing lists you no longer wish to be part of, and keep your inbox organized and clutter-free.
Use Email Filters: Configure email filters to automatically sort incoming messages into specific folders based on criteria such as sender, subject, or keywords. This helps keep your inbox organized and separates unwanted emails from important ones.
Be Cautious with Email Sharing: Exercise caution when sharing your email address online. Be mindful of where you provide your email address and consider using a separate email address for sign-ups, subscriptions, and online forms to avoid spam.
By implementing these tips, you can better manage and reduce the impact of unwanted emails in your Outlook inbox, improving your overall email experience and productivity.
Remember to regularly review and adjust your strategies based on your changing needs and preferences.
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