How to Whitelist an Email Sender

That email you're missing might not be in your SPAM folder. It could have been prevented from ever getting to your email address. Here's how to stop that from happening.

If you want to be sure to receive email from a specific sender, whitelisting the sender's domain (also known as adding a domain to a "safe sender list") is your best bet. Here are instructions for how to whitelist email for the most commonly-used email systems.

 

AOL 9.0 or Higher

  1. Open a message from the desired sender
  2. Click the Add Address icon on the right side of the window
  3. Make the email the “Primary email address”
  4. Verify information and click the OK button

AOL 7.0 or 8.0

  1. Choose Mail from the top of screen Menu
  2. Click on Mail Controls
  3. Choose Next from the Mail Control Screen
  4. Select “Customize Mail Controls for this Screen Name” and click Next
  5. Make sure the domain you want to be included is in the inclusion parameters
  6. Save your choices

AOL WebMail

  1. Open an email from the desired sender
  2. Click Add Contact in the window that appears
  3. Add any additional information you may have
  4. Add Contact

Apple Mail

  1. Open a message from the sender
  2. On the top tool bar, select “Message”
  3. Choose “Add Sender to Address Book” from the drop-down menu

OR

  1. Open a message from the sender
  2. Ctrl-click the sender’s email address
  3. Choose “Open in Address Book”
  4. Input the sender’s contact information
  5. Save your changes

AT&T Web EMail

  1. Navigate to your mailbox
  2. On the top right hand side, select Options>Mail Options>Filters>Add Filter
  3. Select Filter
  4. Select “Add Filter”
  5. Go to “From Header” and choose “Contains.” Enter the email address/domain in the box.
  6. At the bottom, under “Move the Message To” choose Inbox from the drop-down.
  7. Select the Add Filter Button again.

Comcast SmartZone

  1. Select Address Book
  2. Select New and then New Contact
  3. Add the desired email address
  4. Save your changes

Cox Email

  1. Go to the Inbox window
  2. Select Preferences
  3. Then select General Email Preferences > Blocked Senders
  4. Input the email domain you wish to add to the Exceptions List
  5. Click Add then Save

EarthLink

  1. Go to the Address Book
  2. Select Add
  3. Enter the email domain
  4. Save your changes

Entourage

  1. Open an email from the sender
  2. Right-click on the sender’s email address
  3. Select “Add to Address Book” in the short-cut menu
  4. Input the contact details
  5. Save your changes

Gmail

  1. Open a message from the sender
  2. Click the arrow next to the reply on the top right
  3. Select Add Sender to contact list

OR

  1. Select the Google Apps symbol in the upper right-hand corner of the email screen and select the “Contacts” block
  2. Choose “Create contact”
  3. Enter in the email address and any other information
  4. Save your changes

Hotmail

  1. Open a message from the sender
  2. Click “Mark as safe” next to the from name and address
  3. Select Add Contact

Mozilla | Thunderbird

  1. If your contact is in your junk folder, right-click and select “Mark As Not Junk”
  2. Select Address Book (Make sure the Personal Address Book is highlighted)
  3. Select “New Card”
  4. Under the Contact tab, paste your email domain into the email dialog box
  5. Click OK

MSN

  1. Choose Settings > Email | Junk email (bottom left of screen)
  2. Select Junk Email Guard
  3. Open the Safe List and add the desired domain
  4. Select Add

NetZero

  1. Go to Options and choose Safe List
  2. Add the domain you’d wish to include
  3. Select Add > Save

Outlook (2003-2007)

  1. Open a message from the sender
  2. In the top tool bar, select “Actions”
  3. Click Junk E-mail from the drop down menu
  4. Click “Add Sender” to the Safe Senders List

Outlook (2010 | 2013)

  1. Open your inbox
  2. In the Home tab, select “Junk” > Junk E-mail Options
  3. Go to the Safe Recipients tab
  4. Select the Add button
  5. Enter the desired email domain you’d like to include

Outlook Express (6+) | Outlook 2000

  1. Open a message from the sender
  2. Right click the email address in the from field
  3. Select “Add to Address Book”
  4. Click OK

Roadrunner (now Spectrum)

  1. Open the Junk Mail folder
  2. Select the email domains you’d like to add to your whitelist
  3. Click “Mark as Not Spam”

Verizon

  1. Open your inbox
  2. Select “Options”
  3. Select “Block Senders”
  4. Navigate to the “Safe List”
  5. Enter the email domain you would like to add as safe
  6. Select OK

Windows Live

  1. Open a message from the sender
  2. Choose “Mark as safe” next to the from name and address
  3. Select “Add Contact”

Yahoo! Mail

  1. Open a message from the sender
  2. Click “Add contact” next to the From name and address

OR

  1. In your Yahoo Mailbox, select the address book icon in the upper-right side panel called “Contacts”
  2. Click “Add a New Contact”
  3. Input the information
  4. Save your changes