# How do I whitelist a sender in Gmail? — Adinand Email Cleaner

Last reviewed: October 29, 2026. HTML version: https://adinandemail.com/answers/whitelist-a-sender-in-gmail

**There is no Gmail setting by that name.** The word "whitelist" does not appear on the Gmail Help pages that deal with keeping wanted mail out of Spam ([*Fix issues with valid emails in Spam*](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/16457426) and [*Report spam in Gmail*](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/1366858), both read 29 October 2026). What those pages give instead are three ways to tell Gmail a sender is wanted. Our pick is the filter, because it is a rule you can see and edit.

## The filter, step by step <p>From the *Fix issues with valid emails in Spam* page, which says "You can create a filter so a specific sender’s emails never go to Spam":</p> <ol> <li>In Gmail on a computer, click Show search options in the search bar.</li> <li>"Next to “From,” enter the sender’s email address."</li> <li>Click Create filter at the bottom of the search window.</li> <li>"Next to “Never send it to Spam,” check the box", then Create filter.</li> </ol> <p>That is as close to a whitelist entry as Gmail gets: one rule per sender, kept under Settings, See all settings, Filters and Blocked Addresses, where Google's filter page says you can later "Click Edit or Delete" ([*Create rules to filter your emails*](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6579), read 29 October 2026).</p>

## The two lighter routes <ul> <li>**Add them to your contacts.** "When you add the sender to Google Contacts, their emails won’t go to Spam" (the *Fix issues* page above).</li> <li>**Rescue one message.** Open Spam, tick it, click Not spam: "After you remove the email, future emails from that sender won’t go to Spam" (the same page).</li> </ul> <p>How these three behave when mail starts landing in Spam anyway, and why that leaves Spam looking empty, is on [why the Spam folder looks empty](https://adinandemail.com/answers/gmail-spam-folder-empty).</p>

## Two things that override what you set <p>**A block.** If the sender is on your blocked list, none of this sticks: "When you block a sender, even when you remove their emails from Spam, Gmail still automatically identifies their emails as spam" (the *Report spam in Gmail* page above). Unblock first; after that, Google says, "all future emails from them go to your inbox" ([*Block an email address in Gmail*](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/8151), read 29 October 2026). The two ways to do it are on [unblocking a sender](https://adinandemail.com/answers/unblock-a-sender-in-gmail).</p> <p>**An old unsubscribe.** Google's spam page lists a warning for exactly this: "If someone sends an email after you unsubscribe, their emails go directly to Spam." Its fix is the Not spam route above.</p> <p>On a work or school account there is a third: "your admin might set controls to mark certain emails as spam" (the spam page above). For a work address, the administrator is the person to ask.</p>

## Before you add anyone <p>A sender address can be faked. Google's spam page describes a warning for addresses that look "very similar to the email address of a known sender", such as an "O" swapped for a "0", and for mail where "Gmail can't confirm who sent you the email" (the spam page above). Add an address only after checking it letter by letter, and do not rescue a message carrying either warning unless you are sure who sent it.</p>

Related: [Why the Spam folder looks empty](https://adinandemail.com/answers/gmail-spam-folder-empty) · [How Gmail decides what is spam](https://adinandemail.com/answers/how-gmail-decides-an-email-is-spam) · [Blocking a sender](https://adinandemail.com/answers/block-a-sender-in-gmail) · [Marking a sender as important](https://adinandemail.com/answers/always-mark-a-sender-as-important-in-gmail)