How to Block an Email Address

Most email services let you block a sender. Usually, you open a message from the sender, open the message or sender options, then choose Block or Block sender.

What happens to later messages depends on the email service. Gmail sends future messages from a blocked sender to Spam, while Outlook sends them to Junk Email. Apple Mail handles blocked messages differently again.

What happens when you block an email address?

Blocking an email address changes how your email service handles messages from that address. It does not necessarily prevent the sender from technically sending another email. Microsoft, for example, states that a blocked sender can still send mail, but Outlook moves messages from that address to Junk Email.

If you block an individual email address, the block applies to that address. Some services, including Outlook, can also block an entire domain. If the same person or organisation sends from another unblocked address, that message may still reach you.

Blocking does not normally send the person a “you have been blocked” notification. Apple states this explicitly. Gmail and Outlook handle blocking within your mailbox by routing later messages to Spam or Junk rather than describing a notification to the sender. This does not mean someone could never guess that you have blocked or ignored them.

Blocking is mainly about how later messages are handled. Do not rely on it to remove messages that are already in your mailbox, as the behaviour for existing messages can vary between services.

How to block an email address

On most email services, the process is:

1. Open an email from the sender you want to block.
2. Open the message or sender options.
3. Choose Block, Block sender or similar wording.
4. Confirm the action if asked.

The exact control and what happens afterwards depend on the email service.

How to block emails in Gmail

On a computer:

1. Open Gmail and open a message from the sender.
2. Select More, shown as three dots next to Reply.
3. Select Block [sender].

The Gmail app on Android, iPhone and iPad uses the same basic process. Open the message, open the More menu beside Reply and choose Block [sender]. Future messages from that address are sent to Spam.

Blocking someone in Gmail does not remove you from their mailing list. If the sender is a legitimate newsletter or marketing list, unsubscribing may be the more appropriate action.

How to block emails in Outlook

In Outlook.com and the current new Outlook for Windows:

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Mail > Junk email.
3. Add the email address under Blocked senders.
4. Save the change.

In classic Outlook for Windows, right-click a message from the sender and choose Block > Block Sender. In the Outlook app for Android or iPhone, open the message, select More, then Report Junk > Block Sender.

Future messages from a blocked address are sent to the Junk Email folder. If you still use a Hotmail address, it is managed through Outlook.com.

There is one important exception. The new Outlook app cannot manage blocked senders for third-party accounts such as Gmail, Yahoo and iCloud. If you use one of those accounts inside new Outlook, block the sender through the email provider instead.

How to block emails in Apple Mail

On an iPhone or iPad:

1. Open the email from the sender.
2. Tap the sender’s email address.
3. Tap View Contact Card.
4. Tap Block this Contact.

Apple says email from a blocked address goes to the Bin on current iPhone and iPad software.

On a Mac, select a message from the sender, open the arrow beside their name in the message header and choose Block Sender. Mac Mail can be set either to mark blocked mail while leaving it in the Inbox or to move it automatically to Trash.

How to block an address in Yahoo Mail

In the current Yahoo Mail on a desktop browser, open Settings, go to Security and Privacy, then add the email address to the blocked-address list. You can return to the same area later if you want to remove it.

Blocking, unsubscribing, spam and phishing

Blocking is useful when you want your email service to handle future messages from a particular address differently. It does not mean that every unwanted email should simply be blocked.

If the messages come from a legitimate newsletter or marketing list, unsubscribing from the emails usually addresses the source of the messages rather than simply changing how one sender address is handled. Gmail specifically confirms that blocking a sender does not automatically unsubscribe you from their mailing list.

Repeated unsolicited junk may be better treated as spam email rather than simply blocking one address. Reporting spam also gives the email service information it can use when handling unwanted mail.

If a message is trying to deceive you into revealing information, opening a dangerous link or visiting a fraudulent site, it may be a phishing email and should be treated as a security problem rather than merely an unwanted sender. Gmail and Outlook both provide separate phishing-reporting controls.

Deleting is different again. It removes a message you already have, whereas blocking changes how later messages from the sender are handled.

How to unblock an email address

Blocking can normally be reversed.

In Gmail, you can open a message from the blocked sender, select More, then choose Unblock [sender]. If you cannot find one of their messages, go to Settings > See all settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses, where you can remove addresses from the blocked list.

In Outlook.com and new Outlook, go to Settings > Mail > Junk email, find the address under the blocked senders list and remove it.

On a Mac, Apple Mail lets you open the sender menu and choose Unblock Sender. On current iPhone and iPad software, blocked contacts can also be managed through Settings > Privacy & Security > Blocked Contacts.

Yahoo Mail lets you remove an address from the blocked-address list in its Security and Privacy settings.

Unblocking changes how later messages are handled. Gmail states that future messages from an unblocked sender can return to the Inbox. Do not expect unblocking to automatically restore older messages that have already been moved to Spam, Junk or Bin. Outlook, for example, provides a separate action for moving existing Junk messages back to the Inbox.

If messages continue appearing after you block a sender, check whether they are coming from the same email address. Blocking one address does not prevent someone from using another address, so repeatedly blocking different addresses may not solve spam or deceptive mail in the same way as reporting it.