How to Whitelist an Email in Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and More

n today’s world of overflowing inboxes and aggressive spam filters, legitimate emails can sometimes end up in the junk or spam folder. This can be frustrating—especially when you're missing important messages from clients, friends, or subscriptions you've opted into. Fortunately, you can solve this by whitelisting email addresses.

Whitelisting means adding an email address to your approved senders list so that it bypasses spam filters and gets delivered to your inbox. Here's a step-by-step guide for whitelisting emails in Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, and more.

📧 Gmail

Method 1: Create a Filter

1. Open your Gmail account.
2. In the search bar at the top, click the down arrow to open advanced search.
3. In the “From” field, enter the email address you want to whitelist.
4. Click “Create filter” at the bottom-right of the search window.
5. Check the box labeled “Never send it to Spam.”
6. Optionally, you can apply a label or star.
7. Click “Create filter” to save.

Method 2: Add to Contacts

1. Open an email from the sender.
2. Hover over the sender’s name in the email header.
3. Click “Add to Contacts” when the card appears.

Adding someone to your contacts tells Gmail that the sender is trusted, which helps keep future messages out of spam.

📧 Outlook (Web: Outlook.com)

1. Sign in at Outlook.com.
2. Click the Settings (gear icon) at the top right.
3. Scroll down and select “View all Outlook settings.”
4. Go to Mail > Junk Email.
5. Under Safe senders and domains, click Add.
6. Enter the email address or domain (e.g., [e-mail] or @example.com).
7. Click Save.

📧 Microsoft Outlook (Desktop App)

1. Open the Outlook desktop app.
2. Click the Home tab.
3. Select Junk > Junk Email Options.
4. Go to the Safe Senders tab.
5. Click Add and enter the email address or domain.
6. Click OK to save.

You can also check “Also trust email from my Contacts” for a broader whitelist.

📧 Yahoo Mail

1. Log into your Yahoo Mail account.
2. Open a message from the sender you want to whitelist.
3. Hover over the sender’s name and click Add to Contacts.
4. Fill in any additional details and click Save.

Alternatively:

1. Go to Settings > More Settings > Filters.
2. Click Add new filters to set rules that direct specific emails to your inbox.

📧 Apple Mail (iCloud)

1. Open iCloud Mail.
2. Click the gear icon in the sidebar and choose Preferences.
3. Go to the Rules tab.
4. Click Add a Rule.
5. Set the condition to “is from” and enter the email address.
6. Set the action to Move to Inbox.
7. Click Done to save.

📧 AOL Mail

1. Sign into your AOL account.
2. Open an email from the sender you want to whitelist.
3. Hover over the sender’s name and click Add Contact.
4. Save the contact details.

You can also use filters under Options > Mail Settings > Filters and Alerts.

Why Whitelisting Matters

• Avoid Missing Important Emails: Newsletters, invoices, password resets, and messages from new contacts can get filtered out by mistake.
• Control Over Your Inbox: Whitelisting puts you in charge of what gets marked as spam.
• Improved Email Deliverability: For businesses, encouraging customers to whitelist your email helps ensure your messages get through.

Final Tips

• Always double-check your Spam or Junk folders regularly, especially for new contacts.
• Be cautious when whitelisting domains—only approve trusted senders.
• For business communication, ask clients to whitelist your email to ensure smooth correspondence.