Blocking someone on Gmail stops them from contacting you

When you block a contact in Gmail, their emails go straight to spam, they can't see when you've read their messages, and they won't be able to add you to group emails. The block stays in place until you remove it. Gmail doesn't notify the person you've blocked — they'll only know if they notice their emails aren't reaching you or if they try to add you to a group and see an error.

Blocking is different from unsubscribing or marking as spam. Unsubscribing removes you from a mailing list but doesn't stop the sender. Marking a single email as spam teaches Gmail's filter but doesn't block future emails from that address. Blocking is the strongest action: it affects all current and future emails from that person.

Key Takeaways

  • Open any email from the person you want to block, click the three-dot menu, and select "Block [sender]" to send all their future emails to spam.
  • Blocked emails still arrive in your spam folder and can be recovered if you change your mind, so blocking is reversible.
  • If someone creates a new email address after you block them, Gmail won't automatically block the new address — you'll need to block it separately.
  • Blocking works the same way on Gmail's website, the Gmail app on Android, and the Gmail app on iPhone.

How to block someone on Gmail's website

Open Gmail in your web browser and find any email from the person you want to block. Click on the email to open it. At the top right of the message, you'll see a three-dot menu icon (sometimes called "More actions"). Click it.

A dropdown menu will appear. Look for the option that says "Block [sender's name]" — it's usually near the bottom of the menu. Click it. Gmail will show a confirmation message saying the sender has been blocked and their emails will go to spam.

That's the entire process. You don't need to confirm anything else or restart Gmail. The block takes effect immediately.

How to block someone on the Gmail app (Android and iPhone)

Open the Gmail app and find an email from the person you want to block. Tap on the email to open it. At the top of the message, tap the three-dot menu icon.

Tap "Block [sender's name]" from the menu. The app will confirm that the sender is now blocked. On both Android and iPhone, the process is identical.

What happens after you block someone

All emails from the blocked person will automatically go to your spam folder. You won't see notifications for their emails, and they won't appear in your inbox or other folders. If you search for their name or address, their emails will still show up in the search results, but only if you search in the spam folder.

The blocked person can still send you emails — they just won't know whether you're reading them. They also won't be able to see your read receipts or add you to group emails. If they try to add you to a group message, they'll get an error saying they can't.

How to unblock someone

If you change your mind, you can unblock someone at any time. Go to Gmail settings by clicking the gear icon in the top right corner of the page and selecting "See all settings." Click the "Filters and Blocked Addresses" tab.

You'll see a list of all blocked addresses under "Blocked addresses." Find the person you want to unblock and click the "Unblock" link next to their name. Their emails will no longer go to spam, and they'll start appearing in your inbox again.

Unblocking someone doesn't delete their old emails from your spam folder. Those emails stay in spam unless you manually move them or delete them.

Blocking email addresses that keep changing

If someone is harassing you from multiple email addresses, you can block each address individually using the same method. However, there's no way to block an entire domain (like all addresses ending in @example.com) through Gmail's block feature.

If you're dealing with repeated harassment from many addresses, consider creating a filter instead. Go to Settings, click "Filters and Blocked Addresses," and select "Create a new filter." You can set up a filter to automatically delete or spam emails containing certain words or phrases, which gives you more control than blocking individual addresses. You can also report the emails as spam or abuse by clicking the report icon in Gmail.

When blocking isn't enough

Blocking prevents someone from reaching your inbox, but it doesn't stop them from sending emails — they just go to spam. If someone is threatening you, harassing you, or sending unwanted explicit content, you can report the emails to Gmail. Open the email, click the three-dot menu, and select "Report phishing" or "Report spam" depending on the type of message.

If the harassment is severe or involves threats, you may want to save the emails as evidence and report the behavior to local law enforcement. Gmail's block feature is designed for unwanted contact, not for legal protection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I block someone without opening their email?

No, you need to open an email from that person first to access the block option. If you don't have any emails from them, you can't block them directly through Gmail. In that case, you can create a filter to automatically delete or spam future emails from that address.

Will the person I block know I blocked them?

Gmail doesn't send a notification to blocked people. They'll only know if they notice their emails aren't reaching you, or if they try to add you to a group email and see an error message. There's no way for them to confirm they're blocked just by looking at their own account.

What if someone blocks me on Gmail?

You won't receive a notification that you've been blocked. Your emails will still send, but they'll go to the person's spam folder. You won't be able to see their read receipts, and if you try to add them to a group email, you'll get an error message.

Can I block someone and still see their old emails?

Yes. Blocking only affects new emails — their old emails stay in your inbox or other folders. You can read them, search for them, and delete them. If you want to hide their old emails, you'll need to delete them or move them to a folder manually.

If someone creates a new email address, will they be blocked automatically?

No. Gmail only blocks the specific email address you selected. If the person creates a new account, you'll need to block that address separately. If this happens repeatedly, consider creating a filter based on the person's name or other identifying information instead of blocking individual addresses.