Blocking someone on Yahoo Mail stops their messages from reaching your inbox

When you block a sender on Yahoo Mail, their messages go straight to your spam folder instead of your inbox. You won't see notifications when they write to you, and they won't know they're blocked — the message will appear to send normally on their end. Blocking is permanent until you undo it, and it works across all devices where you're signed into that Yahoo account.

The block applies only to that specific email address. If someone has multiple email addresses, you'll need to block each one separately. Yahoo Mail also lets you unblock someone at any time if you change your mind.

Key Takeaways

  • Blocked messages land in your spam folder, not your inbox, and you won't receive notifications about them.
  • You can block a sender directly from an open email or from your contact list, and the process takes less than a minute.
  • Blocking one email address does not block other addresses the same person might use.
  • You can view your blocked senders list and unblock anyone at any time from your account settings.

Block someone from an open email

The fastest way to block is from the message itself. Open any email from the person you want to block, then look for the three dots (more options menu) in the top right corner of the message. Click those dots and select "Block" from the menu that appears.

Yahoo will confirm that you've blocked the sender. After that, any future messages from that address will skip your inbox and go to spam. If you have older messages from that person in your inbox, they stay there — blocking only affects new mail going forward.

Block someone from your contacts

If you have the person saved in your Yahoo contacts but haven't received a recent email from them, you can block them directly from your contact list. Click the "Contacts" tab at the top of your Yahoo Mail page, find the person's name, and click on it to open their contact card.

Once the contact card is open, click the three dots in the top right corner and select "Block contact." Yahoo will move them to your blocked list immediately. Any emails from that address will go to spam from that point forward.

View and manage your blocked senders list

You can see everyone you've blocked and unblock them whenever you want. Click the gear icon (settings) in the top right corner of Yahoo Mail, then select "Settings" from the dropdown menu. In the Settings page, click the "Security and privacy" tab on the left side.

Scroll down until you see "Blocked addresses" and click on it. This shows every email address you've blocked. To unblock someone, click the X next to their name. They'll be removed from your blocked list, and their messages will go back to your inbox normally.

What happens when you block someone

Blocked messages go to your spam folder automatically. You can still see them if you open your spam folder and look, but you won't get any notification that they arrived. The sender won't receive any message saying they're blocked — their email will appear to send successfully, just like any other message.

If the blocked person sends you a message from a different email address, that message will come through normally because you've only blocked the specific address. This is important to know if someone is harassing you from multiple accounts — you'll need to block each address separately as they contact you.

Block someone on mobile Yahoo Mail

The process is nearly identical on the Yahoo Mail app for iPhone or Android. Open an email from the person you want to block, tap the three dots in the top right corner, and select "Block." On some versions of the app, you may need to tap "More" before you see the block option.

To view your blocked list on mobile, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top left, scroll down to "Settings," then tap "Security and privacy." Look for "Blocked addresses" and you'll see everyone you've blocked. Tap the X next to any name to unblock them.

Blocking vs. other ways to filter mail

Blocking is the strongest action — blocked messages go straight to spam and you get no notification. If you want to keep seeing messages but organize them automatically, Yahoo's filters and folders work differently. You can create a filter that sends mail from someone to a specific folder, or marks it as read automatically, without blocking them entirely.

Blocking is best when you don't want to see messages at all. Filters are better when you want to organize mail from someone but might need to read it later. You can also report a message as spam without blocking the sender — this helps Yahoo identify spam patterns but doesn't prevent future messages from reaching you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the person know I blocked them?

No. Their messages will appear to send normally, and they won't receive any notification that you've blocked them. The only way they'd know is if they noticed you stopped responding and tried contacting you from a different email address to see if that one works.

Can I block someone if I've already deleted their emails?

Yes. You can block someone from your contacts list even if you don't have recent messages from them. Open Contacts, find their name, click the three dots, and select "Block contact." You can also block an email address directly from your Settings page under "Blocked addresses" by typing in the address manually.

What if I blocked someone by mistake?

Go to Settings, click "Security and privacy," find "Blocked addresses," and click the X next to their name. They'll be unblocked immediately, and their messages will go back to your inbox normally. Any messages that arrived while they were blocked will still be in your spam folder.

Do I need to block someone on each device?

No. Blocking works across all devices because it's tied to your Yahoo account, not your phone or computer. If you block someone on your phone, they're blocked on your desktop too. The blocked list syncs automatically whenever you sign in.

Can I block an entire domain instead of just one address?

Yahoo Mail doesn't have a built-in option to block an entire domain at once. You can only block individual email addresses. If you're getting spam from many addresses at the same domain, you can create a filter that catches messages from that domain and sends them to spam automatically.