How to Add an Address or Domain to Safe Senders in Outlook

An easy way to improve Outlook's spam filtering

by
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Writer
A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
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Heinz Tschabitscher
Updated on February 19, 2021
reviewed by
Jon Fisher headshot
Jon Fisher
Lifewire Tech Review Board Member
Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek.
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Article reviewed on Feb 12, 2021
Jon Fisher

What to Know

  • Go to the Home tab and, in the Delete group, select Junk > Junk E-mail Options. Go to the Safe Senders tab and select Add.
  • Next, enter the email address or domain name you want to safelist and select OK. It will appear in the Safe Senders List.
  • Or, select an email from a sender you want to safelist, then go to the Home tab and select Delete > Junk. Select Never Block Sender > OK.

This article explains how to add known senders and domains to Outlook's list of Safe Senders. This creates better spam-filtering accuracy because emails from these senders go straight to your Outlook inbox, even if Outlook's algorithms think they're junk. Instructions cover Outlook 2019, Outlook 2016, Outlook 2013, and Outlook for Microsoft 365.

Add an Address or Domain to Safe Senders in Outlook

To add an address or domain to the Safe Senders list in Outlook:

  1. Go to the Home tab.

    Selecting the Home tab in Outlook.

  2. In the Delete group, select the arrow next to Junk.

    Selecting Junk in Outlook.

  3. Select Junk E-mail Options.

    Selecting Junk email options in Outlook.

  4. In the Junk Email Options dialog box, go to the Safe Senders tab.

    Viewing the Junk email options in Outlook.

  5. Select Add.

    Selecting to add a new email or domain in safe senders in Outlook.

  6. In the Add address or domain dialog box, enter the email address or domain name you want to safelist. For example, janedoe@example.com or @example.com.

    Entering an email address into the safe senders list in Outlook.

  7. Select OK.

    A domain has been entered into the add an email or domain dialog box in Outlook.

  8. The email address or domain appears in the Safe Senders List.

    The list of safe sender in Outlook.

  9. Select OK.

Add an Address From an Email to the Safe Senders List

If you have a message from a sender you want to add to the Safe Senders List in your Outlook Inbox (or the Junk E-mail folder), select the message to add the sender to the list.

  1. Select a message from the sender you want to add to the Safe Senders List, then go to the Home tab.

    Selecting the Home tab in Outlook.

  2. In the Delete group, select the arrow next to Junk.

    Selecting Junk in Outlook.

  3. Select Never Block Sender.

    Selecting to never block sender in Outlook.

  4. In the confirmation dialog box, select OK.

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