We've all been there: you're coming off a brutal ranked loss where one teammate spent the entire match spamming rude comments and insulting your aim, so you block them without a second thought. A few days later, you get a text from your college roommate asking why you blocked his new smurf account he was using to practice with a new agent. Suddenly you're scrambling to figure out where the block list even lives, since Valorant doesn't exactly advertise the setting in its in-game menus. If you've ever found yourself in this exact spot, you're not alone. Learning how to unblock someone on Valorant is far simpler than it looks once you know where to look, and we're breaking down every step plus the most common glitches you might run into along the way.
How to Unblock Someone on Valorant: Exact Step-by-Step Steps
The first thing you need to know is that you can't adjust your block list from inside an active Valorant match, or even from the in-game main menu. All block and unblock actions run through the core Riot Client, which manages your account settings across all Riot games including League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics. That means you'll need to exit to the main Riot Client dashboard first if you're already in the Valorant game interface.
Once you're on the Riot Client home screen, follow these simple steps to unblock any player:
- Open the Riot Client and sign into the account you used to block the player
- Click the social icon in the top right corner (it looks like two overlapping people)
- Select the "Blocked" tab at the top of the social menu
- Scroll to find the player name you want to unblock, or use the search bar to look up their full Riot ID (including the four-digit tagline)
- Click the "Unblock" button next to their name, and confirm the pop-up prompt if it appears
Important note: If you only remember the player's in-game display name but not their tagline, you might have to scroll through the full blocked list to find them, since Riot requires the full ID for search. You also can't adjust your block list from the Riot Mobile app, so you'll need to use the desktop client to make any changes.
Common Glitches That Stop You From Unblocking Valorant Players
Even if you follow the steps perfectly, you might run into a few common issues that prevent you from unblocking someone. Most of these glitches have simple fixes, so you won't need to contact Riot support unless the problem persists for more than 24 hours.
The most common issue is the blocked list failing to load at all. This usually happens if your Riot client is out of date, or if you have a spotty internet connection that's preventing your account data from syncing properly. Quick fix: Restart your client completely, or log out and log back in to refresh your social data. If that doesn't work, check for any pending client updates and install them before trying again.
Another frequent problem is the unblock button being greyed out when you find the player you want to unblock. That's almost always because the player has either deleted their Riot account permanently, or they've blocked you back on their end. Riot doesn't let you unblock someone who has blocked you, so you won't be able to adjust that status no matter what you do.
You might also notice that after unblocking someone, they still don't show up in your friend list or accept your party invites. Pro tip: When you block someone, all pending friend requests and party invites are automatically deleted on both ends. You'll have to send a new friend request after unblocking them if you want to add them to your list, and it's a good idea to message them on another platform first to let them know to expect the request, so they don't accidentally decline it thinking it's spam.
What Happens After You Unblock a Player on Valorant?
Many players worry that unblocking someone will send them a notification, but that's not the case. Riot never sends alerts for blocks or unblocks, so the other player will have no idea you adjusted your block list unless you tell them, or they try to invite you to a party and see the option is no longer greyed out on their end.
Immediately after unblocking, you'll be able to see their messages in team chat, lobby chat, and all-star game chat again. If you queued into the same match as them while they were blocked, you wouldn't have seen any of their messages, but that restriction lifts right away once you unblock them. They'll also be able to see your messages and send you party invites, as long as they haven't blocked you on their end.
Important caveat: Unblocking someone won't restore any old chat history, old friend requests, or previous party invites. All of that data is permanently deleted when you block someone, so don't expect to see old messages from them pop up after you hit the unblock button. Also, unblocking someone doesn't remove them from your avoid player list if you added them there separately. The avoid list and block list work independently, so you can unblock someone but still choose to not match with them in competitive play if you don't want to.
When Should You Block (or Unblock) Valorant Players?
It's easy to hit the block button in the heat of the moment after a bad match, but it's worth thinking through whether you actually want to keep someone blocked long term. Blocking is the right call for players who send unsolicited hate speech, spam you with friend requests nonstop, or consistently harass you across multiple matches. There's no shame in blocking someone to make your playing experience more enjoyable, and Riot doesn't penalize you for having a long block list.
That said, there are plenty of good reasons to unblock someone too. You might have blocked them by accident when you were clearing out your friend list, or you might have realized the person you blocked was a friend playing on a secondary account you didn't recognize. You might also have had a one-off argument with a teammate that you've since moved past, and want to queue with them again in the future.
Good rule of thumb: Only keep someone blocked if they make your playing experience consistently worse. The biggest upside of unblocking someone you didn't mean to block is you can get back to playing with friends or friendly teammates you enjoyed queuing with. The only real downside is if you unblock someone who was previously toxic, you'll be exposed to their messages again, so make sure you're making that choice intentionally. There's no limit to how many times you can block or unblock someone, so you can always adjust your settings later if you change your mind.
At the end of the day, learning how to unblock someone on Valorant is a simple process once you know where to find the hidden blocked list in your Riot client. You don't have to jump through complicated hoops or contact support to adjust your block list, as long as you follow the steps we outlined. If you run into persistent glitches that don't clear up after a client restart, you can always reach out to Riot support for help, but 90% of unblocking issues are fixed in less than five minutes. Next time you accidentally block a friend or want to give a former teammate a second chance, you'll know exactly what to do.
