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# Call and SMS blocking in Close

> Block specific phone numbers and anonymous callers for your whole organization in Close from Settings. See what blocked callers hear and how to unblock.

Close lets you block specific phone numbers directly from the app — no need to contact support. Once a number is blocked, the restriction applies across your **entire organization**, so all users are protected automatically.

You can also independently toggle the blocking of **anonymous callers** (callers with a hidden or unknown caller ID) from the same settings page.

This feature is available on **all Close plans** and accessible to **all users**.

## Set up call and SMS blocking

Go to Settings → Communication → Phone & Voicemail → [Blocked Numbers](https://app.close.com/settings/blocked-numbers/)

Enter the phone number in **E.164 format** (e.g. `+12125551234`).

Enter a **block reason** — this is required and can be up to 200 characters.

Save the block.

![Blocked Numbers settings showing anonymous call toggle and empty blocked numbers list with Block Number button.](https://close-prd-help-docs.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/feature-guide/calling/call-blocking-in-close/blocked_numbers_settings_7fe704.gif)

In addition to blocking specific numbers, you can toggle blocking for **anonymous inbound calls** — callers who have hidden their caller ID. This setting is managed independently from your blocked numbers list, and is also found on the same Blocked Numbers settings page.

## What Happens When a Number Is Blocked?

Blocking affects calls and SMS, in both directions.

| Direction                                            | What Happens                                                                                                                                                      |
| ---------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Outbound call** (your user calls a blocked number) | The call is blocked. Your user hears: *"This number has been blocked by your organization."* The attempt is **logged and marked as blocked** in the call history. |
| **Inbound call** (a blocked number calls you)        | The call is blocked. The caller hears: *"This call cannot be connected, goodbye."* The attempt is **not logged** in the call history.                             |
| **Outbound SMS**                                     | The SMS cannot be sent. The user will see a pop-up window with *"Error while saving SMS - Your organization has blocked this phone number."*                      |
| **Inbound SMS**                                      | Inbound SMS messages won't be delivered.                                                                                                                          |

A few things to keep in mind:

* If you hear a message like *"prohibited on trial accounts"* when dialing, it means the dialed phone number (or its number prefix) is on Close's restricted list, and calls to that destination are not allowed.

* If you believe this message is appearing in error, **flag/report the specific call from inside the Close app**. This allows Support to pull provider-side debug information for that call and investigate why it was blocked.

* The same number cannot be added twice. Close automatically normalizes numbers to E.164 format to prevent duplicates.

* The phone number itself cannot be edited after it's added. To correct a number, delete the entry and re-add it.

* The block reason *can* be edited at any time from the blocked numbers list.

> **Organization-Wide Blocking**
>
> Every block is applied **organization-wide**. This means:
>
> * It doesn't matter which user added the block — it applies to everyone in your org.
> * There is no way to block a number for only a specific user or team.

## Removing the block

To unblock a number, simply delete it from the blocked numbers list by clicking on the '…' option.

![Blocked phone number row showing number, reason, blocker and menu with Edit and Delete options.](https://close-prd-help-docs.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/feature-guide/calling/call-blocking-in-close/blocked_numbers_row_ed085c.png)