How to Manage Email Allow and Deny Lists in Hubspot

Managing who can contact your conversations inbox in Hubspot is essential for keeping your team focused and reducing unwanted messages. This guide explains how allow and deny lists work and how to configure them in your account.

The instructions below are based on the official HubSpot Knowledge Base article on managing allow and deny lists for the conversations inbox. Always verify that your user has sufficient permissions to edit inbox settings before you begin.

Understanding Hubspot Allow and Deny Lists

Before you change any settings, it helps to understand what the allow and deny lists control inside the conversations inbox.

What the allow list does in Hubspot

The allow list is a list of email addresses and domains that are always permitted to send emails to your connected conversations inbox channels, even if they might otherwise be blocked or filtered.

Typical use cases include:

• Ensuring important partners or vendors always reach your support team.
• Allowing internal test accounts to send messages without being filtered.
• Bypassing certain filtering rules for trusted senders.

What the deny list does in Hubspot

The deny list is a list of email addresses and domains that are blocked from sending emails to your conversations inbox channels.

Use the deny list when you want to:

• Block persistent spam senders.
• Prevent messages from specific domains you never need to hear from.
• Stop abusive or unwanted contacts from reaching your team.

Once an address or domain is added to the deny list, messages from those senders will not create or update conversations in the inbox.

Accessing Inbox Settings in Hubspot

To manage allow and deny lists, you must open the specific inbox you want to configure.

1. Log in to your Hubspot account.

2. In the main navigation bar, go to Conversations > Inbox.

3. If you have multiple inboxes, use the dropdown at the top left to select the correct inbox.

4. Click the Settings icon to open the inbox settings panel.

Only users with permission to edit inbox settings can change the allow and deny lists. If you do not see the settings icon, contact an account admin.

Managing the Allow List in Hubspot

Allow list entries are typically configured at the channel level for email channels connected to your inbox.

Open the channel configuration

1. In the inbox settings sidebar, select Channels.

2. Click the email channel you want to configure. This is usually the team email address connected to the inbox (such as support@yourcompany.com).

3. Locate the section related to Allow and deny lists or email security settings.

Add senders to the allow list

Once you have opened the correct channel configuration, you can add entries to the allow list.

1. Find the Allow list field or section.

2. Enter the email addresses or domains you want to allow.

3. Use the correct format, such as:

   • user@example.com for a single email address.
   • @example.com to allow all addresses from a domain.

4. Click Save or Update to apply your changes.

After saving, emails from these senders should always be accepted into the inbox, provided that your channel is connected and functioning correctly.

Best practices for the allow list in Hubspot

• Add only trusted, known senders or domains.
• Avoid allowing extremely broad domains you do not fully control.
• Review the list periodically to remove entries that are no longer needed.

Managing the Deny List in Hubspot

The deny list is maintained in the same area as the allow list, but it blocks messages instead of allowing them.

Open the channel deny list settings

1. From the Hubspot inbox settings, go to Channels.

2. Select the relevant email channel.

3. Scroll to the section that displays the Deny list.

Add senders to the deny list

1. In the deny list field, enter the email addresses or domains you want to block.

2. Use the same formatting rules as the allow list, for example:

   • spam@example.com to block one address.
   • @unwanted-domain.com to block all addresses from a domain.

3. Click Save or Update to store your changes.

From this point forward, new emails from those addresses or domains should not create or update conversations in the connected inbox.

Best practices for the deny list in Hubspot

• Use the deny list for recurring problem senders or known spam domains.
• Be cautious when blocking entire domains; you may unintentionally block legitimate contacts.
• Maintain documentation of why specific domains were blocked for team transparency.

Testing Your Hubspot Allow and Deny List Settings

After updating your settings, you should confirm everything works as expected.

1. Send a test email from an address on the allow list to the inbox channel address and confirm a conversation is created.

2. Send a test email from an address on the deny list and verify that no new conversation appears in the inbox.

3. Ask teammates to repeat the tests for critical domains or addresses so you can be confident in the configuration.

If emails behave differently than expected, double-check the exact spelling and formatting of each entry in the lists.

When to Update Hubspot Allow and Deny Lists

Your allow and deny lists should evolve as your organization and communications change.

• New partners or vendors: Add them to the allow list to prevent missed messages.
• Increase in spam: Add problematic senders or domains to the deny list.
• Policy changes: Update lists when your security or privacy policies change.
• Team feedback: Use feedback from support or sales reps to refine both lists.

Additional Hubspot Resources and Support

For the most accurate, up-to-date technical steps and screenshots for managing allow and deny lists, refer directly to the official HubSpot documentation: Manage your allow and deny list.

If you need broader CRM or marketing operations help beyond inbox configuration, you can also consult specialized Hubspot partners and resources such as Consultevo.

By carefully configuring and maintaining your allow and deny lists in Hubspot, your team can keep the conversations inbox focused on real customers and important stakeholders, while significantly reducing noise from unwanted emails.

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