Resolving ‘Blocked by User Policy Sender Address List’

In today’s digital age, email is crucial for business and personal communication. However, email delivery issues can sometimes be puzzling. In this article, we’ll explore a scenario where a user couldn’t receive emails from a specific sender, and we’ll delve into the simple solution that resolved the issue.

The Problem:

One user in an organization couldn’t receive emails from a specific external sender, despite others receiving them without issues. The message trace indicated that the emails were being blocked due to a user policy sender address list.

The Solution:

We discovered that the sender had been added to the user’s blocked sender list in Outlook. To resolve the issue, follow these steps:

How to remove senders from the blocked sender list in both OWA and Outlook?

Outlook Web App (OWA):

1. Log in to outlook.office.com
2. Click the “Settings” icon (usually a gear or cogwheel).
3. Select “View all Outlook settings.”
4. Under “Junk Email,” find and manage blocked senders.
5. Locate the sender and remove them from the list.

Outlook Desktop Application:

1. Open Outlook.
2. Access “Junk Email Options” from the “Home” tab (Outlook 2016 and later) or the “Actions” menu (earlier versions).
3. Go to the “Blocked Senders” tab.
4. Select the sender to unblock and click “Remove” or “Delete.”
5. Save your changes.

Conclusion:

This scenario emphasizes the importance of email configuration. Sometimes, complex issues have simple solutions. Monitoring and managing sender lists in email settings can prevent unintended communication problems and ensure smooth email delivery.