Sources checked: 12 October 2026.
Use Outlook.com’s blocked-sender controls to move unwanted mail away from your Inbox. Blocking is a filtering action: it does not stop a sender from attempting delivery or guarantee that all future spam will disappear. For messages trying to steal credentials or money, use the phishing-report control as well.
Add an address to blocked senders
- Sign into the correct personal Hotmail mailbox at outlook.com. If several accounts are available, check the selected address.
- Open Settings > Mail > Junk email.
- Under Blocked senders, enter the unwanted email address and choose Add. Use Blocked domains only if you deliberately want to filter mail from the whole domain.
- Select Save. Review the entry for typing mistakes.
Microsoft’s blocking instructions explain that matching mail goes to Junk Email. Blocking a shared domain such as gmail.com can also divert messages from legitimate people using that service, so an individual address is often the more precise choice.
Undo a mistaken block
Return to the same Junk email settings and remove the incorrect entry, then save. Check Junk for wanted messages already moved there; changing the list is not the same as recovering or relocating existing messages. Move legitimate mail back to Inbox using the available Not junk control.
Report a suspicious message
Select the message in the message list and choose Report > Report phishing. Microsoft’s phishing guidance says reporting does not itself block the sender, so add a blocked-sender entry separately when appropriate. Avoid clicking the message’s links or opening an unexpected attachment to investigate.
A familiar display name is not proof of identity. Scammers can impersonate a sender or vary their address, so filtering one address may not catch the next attempt. Verify an unexpected request through contact details you already trust, rather than a reply address or telephone number supplied in the suspicious message.
If mail from a blocked sender still appears
Check the actual sender address and whether the message arrived in Junk rather than Inbox. Microsoft’s Outlook.com issue notes clarify that a block moves matching mail to Junk; it is not a complete mailbox-delivery ban. Do not blanket-block unknown people if you depend on first-time customers or contacts reaching you. Review wanted mail before clearing folders.
Independent information: Number Customer Care is not affiliated with Microsoft. We cannot access your account, reset your password or provide Microsoft customer support.