Block a sender directly from their message
The fastest way to block an email address in Yahoo Mail is to open the message and use the block button. Open the email from the sender you want to block, then look for the three-dot menu icon (⋯) in the top right corner of the message. Click it and select Block sender. Yahoo will move that sender's future emails to your Spam folder automatically.
This method works whether you're on a computer or phone. On a phone, the three-dot menu may appear as a button at the top or bottom of the message depending on your device. Once you tap it, the block option should be visible in the dropdown menu.
Key Takeaways
- You can block a sender by opening their email, tapping the three-dot menu, and selecting Block sender.
- Blocked senders' emails go to your Spam folder, and you can unblock them anytime from your blocked list.
- Blocking works on the email address itself, so if someone uses a different address, you will need to block that one separately.
- Yahoo keeps a list of all blocked senders that you can view and manage in your account settings.
Find and manage your blocked senders list
Yahoo stores all the addresses you have blocked in one place. On a computer, click the gear icon in the top right corner of Yahoo Mail and select Settings. Then click Security and privacy on the left side. Scroll down until you see Blocked addresses — this shows every sender you have blocked.
From this list, you can unblock anyone by clicking the X next to their name. You can also add new addresses to block without opening an email from them. Click the text box under "Blocked addresses," type the email address you want to block, and click the plus icon or press Enter.
On a phone, the steps are similar but the menu layout is slightly different. Tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top left, scroll down to Settings, then look for Security and privacy. The blocked addresses section will be in the same place.
What happens when you block someone
When you block an email address, Yahoo automatically sends all future emails from that sender to your Spam folder. You will not see notifications for their messages, and they will not appear in your inbox. The blocked sender does not receive any notification that you have blocked them — from their perspective, their emails are being sent normally.
Blocking only affects emails from that exact address. If the same person sends you a message from a different email account, it will come through normally unless you block that address too. This is why spammers sometimes use multiple addresses — blocking one does not stop them from contacting you with another.
Emails that were already in your inbox before you blocked the sender will stay there. Blocking only affects new messages going forward. If you want to remove old emails from a blocked sender, you will need to delete them manually.
Unblock a sender if you change your mind
You can unblock someone at any time by going back to your blocked addresses list. Follow the same steps to reach Security and privacy in your settings, find the address you want to unblock, and click the X next to it. Once you unblock them, their emails will start arriving in your inbox again instead of going to Spam.
After you unblock someone, any emails they sent while they were blocked will still be in your Spam folder. You can move them back to your inbox manually if you want to read them, or leave them where they are.
Block an address without opening the email
If you want to block someone but do not want to open their email first, you can add them directly from your blocked list. Go to Settings > Security and privacy > Blocked addresses. Type the email address into the text box and click the plus icon. This is useful if you know who is sending you unwanted mail but have not received a message from them yet, or if you want to block someone preemptively.
You can also block addresses from your Spam folder without opening them. Right-click on a message in Spam (or long-press on a phone), and look for a block option in the menu. This saves you from having to read the message itself.
Difference between blocking and reporting spam
Blocking and reporting spam are two different actions in Yahoo Mail. Blocking stops emails from a specific address from reaching your inbox — they go to Spam instead. Reporting spam tells Yahoo that a message is unwanted and helps train Yahoo's spam filters to catch similar messages in the future. You can do both at the same time.
If you report a message as spam without blocking, future emails from that sender may still reach your inbox if Yahoo's filters do not catch them. If you block without reporting, Yahoo does not learn that the sender is a spammer. For maximum protection against a persistent sender, do both: report the message and then block the address.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I block multiple email addresses at once?
No, Yahoo requires you to block addresses one at a time. You must enter each address individually in your blocked list or open each message and use the block button. If you receive many unwanted emails from different addresses, you will need to block them separately.
Will the blocked person know I blocked them?
No. The sender will not receive any notification that you have blocked them. Their emails will appear to send normally from their end, but they will land in your Spam folder instead of your inbox.
What if someone keeps emailing me from different addresses?
You will need to block each address separately. If the same person is using multiple addresses to contact you, block each one as it arrives. You can also report these messages as spam to help Yahoo identify the pattern and filter them automatically.
Can I block an entire domain instead of just one address?
Yahoo Mail does not have a built-in feature to block entire domains. You can only block individual email addresses. If you receive spam from many addresses at the same domain, you will need to block them one by one.
Do blocked emails stay in my Spam folder forever?
No. Yahoo automatically deletes emails in your Spam folder after 30 days. Blocked emails follow the same rule — they will be removed after a month unless you manually delete them sooner.