The fastest way to block a spam email
Open the email, look for a button or menu option labeled "Block," "Block Sender," or "Report Spam," and click it. The exact location depends on which email service you use — Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, and Apple Mail all put this button in slightly different places, but every major email provider has one. Once you block a sender, their emails go straight to spam or a blocked folder instead of your inbox.
This works immediately for that sender's address. If the same person emails you from a different address, you will need to block that address too. Blocking is different from unsubscribing: unsubscribe removes you from a mailing list (and only works if the sender honors it), while blocking stops all mail from that specific address regardless of whether they want to send it.
Key Takeaways
- Every email provider has a block or report spam button — find it by right-clicking the email or looking in the sender's details.
- Blocking a sender address stops their emails from reaching your inbox, but only that exact address; they can email from another account and you will not see it blocked automatically.
- Reporting spam to your email provider helps train their filters to catch similar messages for all users, not just you.
- Creating filters or rules lets you automatically sort emails by sender, subject line, or keywords before they hit your inbox.
- Never reply to spam, click links in spam, or confirm your email address is real — these actions often make you a target for more spam.
Where to find the block button in your email provider
Gmail: Open the email, click the three dots (menu icon) in the top right, and select "Block [sender name]." You can also hover over the sender's name at the top of the email and click the block icon that appears.
Outlook (Outlook.com, Microsoft 365): Open the email, click the three dots in the top right, select "Junk," then "Block." Alternatively, right-click the sender's name and choose "Block."
Yahoo Mail: Open the email, click the three dots in the top right, and select "Block Sender." The blocked sender's future emails go to spam automatically.
Apple Mail (on Mac or iPhone): On Mac, open the email and click the flag icon in the toolbar, then select "Block This Contact." On iPhone or iPad, swipe left on the email in your inbox and tap the block icon (circle with a slash), or open the email and tap "Report Junk" at the top.
The difference between blocking and reporting spam
Blocking stops that sender's emails from reaching you. Reporting spam does the same thing and tells your email provider that the message is spam, which helps their filters learn to catch similar emails for everyone. Most email services let you do both at once — when you block, you often see an option to "Report as Spam" or "Mark as Junk" in the same menu.
If you only block without reporting, your provider does not learn anything about that sender. If you report without blocking, the email still arrives in your inbox (though some providers move it to spam automatically when you report it). For best results, do both: report the email as spam and block the sender in one action.
Creating filters to sort emails before they reach your inbox
Filters (also called rules or labels) let you automatically move emails to a folder, delete them, or mark them as read based on the sender, subject line, or keywords in the message. This is useful for newsletters you want to keep but do not want cluttering your inbox, or for emails from a sender you do not want to block entirely but do want separated.
Gmail: Open an email from the sender, click the three dots, select "Filter messages like these," then choose what to do with future emails from that sender (archive, delete, apply a label, or mark as spam). You can also go to Settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses > Create a New Filter to set up rules based on keywords or subject lines.
Outlook: Right-click an email, select "Junk" > "Junk Email Options," then go to the "Safe Senders," "Safe Recipients," or "Blocked Senders" tab. You can also create rules by going to Settings > Mail > Rules > Add Rule, where you can specify conditions (sender address, subject keywords) and actions (move to folder, delete, mark as junk).
Yahoo Mail: Click the three dots on an email, select "Filter Messages," then set conditions and choose where to send matching emails. You can filter by sender, subject, or content.
Apple Mail: On Mac, go to Mail > Preferences > Rules, then click "Add Rule." Set the condition (sender, subject, content) and the action (move to folder, delete, or mark as junk). On iPhone or iPad, you cannot create custom rules, but you can flag emails or move them to folders manually.
Why you should report spam even if you block it
When you report an email as spam, you are telling your email provider's system that the message is unwanted. Their servers use this information to improve spam detection for all users. If thousands of people report emails from the same sender, the provider's filters learn to catch those messages automatically, even for people who have not seen them yet.
This is especially important for phishing emails (messages that pretend to be from your bank, PayPal, or another service and ask you to click a link or enter your password). Reporting these helps protect other users from the same scam. Blocking only protects you; reporting protects everyone.
What not to do when you receive spam
Do not reply to spam, even to ask them to stop. A reply confirms that your email address is real and monitored, which makes you more valuable to spammers. They may sell your address to other spammers or send you more messages.
Do not click links or download attachments from spam emails. Links can lead to phishing sites designed to steal your password or install malware on your device. Attachments can contain viruses or ransomware. Do not click "Unsubscribe" links in emails from unknown senders — this also confirms your address is active.
If an email claims to be from your bank, PayPal, Amazon, or another service you use, do not click any links in it. Instead, go directly to the company's website by typing the address into your browser, or call their customer service number from your statement or their official website. Legitimate companies never ask you to confirm your password or financial information by email.
When blocking is not enough
If you receive spam from many different addresses or the same sender keeps creating new accounts to email you, blocking individual addresses becomes impractical. In this case, consider creating a filter that catches emails based on subject line keywords or content patterns. For example, if you keep receiving emails with "You have won a prize" in the subject, create a filter that automatically deletes or archives anything matching that phrase.
If spam is overwhelming, you can also create a separate email address for online shopping, social media, and other services that might sell your address to marketers. Keep your main email address for people you actually know. Some email providers offer the ability to generate temporary or masked email addresses for this purpose — Gmail has "Hide My Email" through Apple, and Outlook has similar features.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I block someone, can they still see that I blocked them?
No. When you block a sender, they do not receive a notification. Their emails simply go to spam or a blocked folder on your end. They have no way to know you blocked them unless they try to email you and notice you never respond — but they will not see a "blocked" message or alert.
What happens to emails from a blocked sender?
In most email providers, blocked emails go to your spam or junk folder automatically. You can still see them there if you want to check, but they do not appear in your inbox. Some providers let you choose whether to delete them entirely or keep them in spam for a set number of days before auto-deleting.
Can I unblock a sender after I block them?
Yes. In Gmail, go to Settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses > Blocked Addresses and click "Unblock" next to the sender's name. In Outlook, go to Settings > Mail > Junk Email > Blocked Senders and remove the address. In Yahoo Mail and Apple Mail, the process is similar — find your blocked list in settings and remove the sender. Unblocking is immediate.
Does blocking someone on email also block them on other services?
No. Blocking a sender in Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo Mail only affects your email inbox. It does not block them on social media, messaging apps, or other platforms. You would need to block them separately on each service if you want to prevent contact across multiple platforms.
What should I do if I block someone by mistake?
Unblock them immediately using the steps above. Once unblocked, their emails will start arriving in your inbox again. There is no waiting period — the unblock takes effect right away, and you will see their messages in your inbox starting with the next email they send.