How to Whitelist an Email in Outlook (Safe Senders Guide)

Missing emails from a client, a booking system or your accountant because Outlook keeps filing them as junk is maddening. The fix is to whitelist the sender, which Outlook calls adding them to your Safe Senders list. Once they're on it, their emails come straight to your inbox. Here's how to do it in each version, how to whitelist a whole company at once, and the work account quirk that can undo your good work.

Whitelist a sender in new Outlook or Outlook on the web

1. Select Settings.
2. Go to Mail, then Junk email.
3. Scroll down to Senders and select the Safe senders and domains tab.
4. Select + Add safe sender and type the email address.
5. Select OK, then Save.

Whitelist a sender in classic Outlook

The fastest way is from one of their emails. Select a message from the sender, then on the Home tab, in the Delete group, choose Block (or Junk) and select Never Block Sender. To add addresses by hand, open Junk E-mail Options from the same menu, go to the Safe Senders tab and click Add.

Whitelist a whole domain

If you work with several people at one company, add their domain rather than each person. In the same Safe senders and domains list, enter the domain, such as yourclient.com, instead of a full address. Now everyone sending from that company reaches your inbox. Microsoft says you can have up to 10,000 addresses or domains across your safe and blocked lists, so you won't run out of room.

What whitelisting does

Microsoft is clear that addresses and domains on the Safe Senders list are never treated as junk email, regardless of the content of the message. That's useful for things like automated booking confirmations or account notifications that use wording junk filters dislike. It also means you should only whitelist senders you trust, because their emails skip the junk check entirely.

Contacts are already trusted

Here's a handy default. Microsoft says email addresses in your Outlook contacts are considered safe senders by the junk filter. So simply adding someone as a contact often fixes the problem too. If you'd rather Outlook didn't automatically trust everyone in your contacts, you can clear Trust email from my contacts under Security options in the Junk email settings.

People you email aren't trusted automatically

Another detail that surprises people: Microsoft says that when you email someone who isn't in your contacts, their address isn't automatically added to your Safe Senders list. So their reply could still land in Junk. In classic Outlook there's an option on the Safe Senders tab to Automatically add people I e-mail to the Safe Senders List, which is worth switching on if this keeps happening.

Your options compared

Method	Best for
Add safe sender	One person whose emails keep going to junk
Add a safe domain	Everyone at a client or supplier
Add them as a contact	People you email regularly
Never Block Sender (classic)	Fixing it straight from a junked email

The work account quirk

If your mailbox is on Exchange or Exchange Online, which many business accounts are, Microsoft warns that changes you make to the Safe Senders list in classic Outlook may not be recognised by the server. That can mean emails from safe senders still end up in Junk. If that's happening, add the sender through Outlook on the web instead, or ask your IT team, who may also have company-wide filtering in place.

Whitelisting on your phone

The Outlook mobile app doesn't give you the full junk settings, so add safe senders on your computer or in Outlook on the web. Because the list belongs to your account, it then applies on your phone too. In the meantime, if an email lands in Junk on your phone, you can usually move it to your inbox from the message menu, which also teaches the filter a little about what you want to see.

Rescue the emails already in Junk

Whitelisting only affects new emails. Go to your Junk Email folder, find any messages from that sender and mark them as not junk to move them to your inbox. Do it soon, because junk email is removed automatically after a while.

If you send emails yourself

Flip the problem round: you want your emails whitelisted by your clients and subscribers. Asking new subscribers to add you to their contacts in your first email is a simple, effective habit. My welcome sequence swipe file includes wording for exactly that, and my roundup of AI email marketing tools covers platforms that look after deliverability.

My verdict

Settings, Mail, Junk email, Safe senders and domains, Add safe sender. Use a domain for whole companies, add regular contacts to your address book, and in classic Outlook switch on automatically adding people you email. On a work account, if junk filtering ignores your list, add the sender on the web or ask IT.

Frequently asked questions

How do I whitelist an email address in Outlook?

Go to Settings, Mail, Junk email, open Safe senders and domains, select Add safe sender, enter the address and save.

Can I whitelist a whole domain in Outlook?

Yes. Enter the domain, such as example.com, in the Safe senders and domains list.

Are my Outlook contacts automatically whitelisted?

Yes. By default, addresses in your contacts are treated as safe senders.

Why do safe senders still go to junk on my work account?

Microsoft says Safe Senders changes in classic Outlook may not be recognised by Exchange. Add them on the web or ask IT.

How many safe senders can I add in Outlook?

Up to 10,000 addresses or domains across the safe and blocked senders lists.