Block a sender in Yahoo Mail

To block an email sender in Yahoo Mail, open the message from that person, then click the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner of the email. Select Block sender from the dropdown. Yahoo will move that sender's future emails to your Spam folder automatically.

If you have already deleted the message, you can still block the sender. Go to your Spam folder, find any email from that person, open it, and use the same three-dot menu to block them. Once blocked, you will not see notifications for their emails — they go straight to Spam without alerting you.

Blocking works on the sender's email address, not their name. If someone uses multiple email addresses, you will need to block each one separately. There is no limit to how many senders you can block.

Key Takeaways

  • Open any email from the sender you want to block, click the three-dot menu, and select Block sender.
  • Blocked emails go to your Spam folder automatically and do not trigger notifications.
  • Blocking targets the specific email address, so someone using multiple addresses requires multiple blocks.
  • You can unblock a sender at any time by going to your Spam folder, opening one of their emails, and selecting Unblock sender.
  • Yahoo does not notify the blocked sender that you have blocked them.

Where blocked emails go

When you block a sender in Yahoo Mail, their emails do not disappear — they move to your Spam folder. You can still read them if you check Spam, but you will not see them in your inbox or receive notifications about them.

This matters because blocking is not the same as deleting. If you block someone by mistake, or if you later need to read something they sent, you can find it in Spam. The emails stay there until you delete them manually or until Yahoo's automatic cleanup removes old Spam messages (usually after 30 days).

Unblock a sender if you change your mind

To unblock someone, go to your Spam folder and open any email from that sender. Click the three-dot menu and select Unblock sender. Their future emails will then go to your inbox normally again.

If you have already deleted all their emails from Spam, you can still unblock them — you do not need an email from them to do it. However, Yahoo Mail does not have a central list of all blocked senders that you can view in one place. You can only unblock someone if you have an email from them in Spam to open.

Block emails by subject line or content

Yahoo Mail also lets you create filters that automatically send emails to Spam based on words or phrases in the subject line or message body. This is useful for blocking entire categories of unwanted mail without blocking individual senders.

To set up a filter, click the gear icon in the top right of Yahoo Mail and select Settings. Go to the Filters tab, then click Add new filter. Type the word or phrase you want to filter (for example, "unsubscribe" or a product name), choose which folder to send matching emails to, and click Save. Any email containing that phrase will then go to the folder you selected.

Filters work differently than blocking a sender — they catch emails based on content, not who sent them. You can have multiple filters running at once, and you can edit or delete them anytime in Settings.

The difference between blocking and unsubscribing

Blocking a sender and unsubscribing from a mailing list are not the same thing. When you unsubscribe, you are telling the sender's organization to remove your email address from their list. When you block, you are telling Yahoo to send their emails to Spam.

Most legitimate companies (newsletters, retailers, notifications) include an unsubscribe link at the bottom of their emails. Clicking that link removes you from their mailing list entirely. Blocking is better for unwanted emails from people or organizations that do not have an unsubscribe option, or for senders you do not want to hear from again under any circumstances.

If you receive marketing emails from a company you once did business with, unsubscribing is usually faster than blocking, because one click removes you from all their future emails. Blocking only works on the specific email address they used to send that message.

What happens if someone tries to email you after you block them

When you block a sender, Yahoo does not reject their emails or send them a bounce-back message. The blocked sender will not know you have blocked them. Their emails straightforward arrive in your Spam folder instead of your inbox.

If the blocked sender is someone you know in person, they might wonder why you are not responding to their emails. They will not receive any notification from Yahoo that you blocked them — they will just notice you are not replying. If you need to tell them you blocked them, you will have to do that through another method (phone, text, in person).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I block someone without opening their email?

No. Yahoo Mail requires you to open an email from that sender before you can block them. If you want to block someone whose emails you have not received yet, you will need to wait until they send you something. Alternatively, you can create a filter for their email address or a word associated with them.

What if I block someone and they email me from a different address?

Blocking only affects the specific email address you blocked. If the same person emails you from a different address, those emails will go to your inbox normally. You will need to block each address separately. If this becomes a pattern, contact Yahoo Support — they may be able to help with more aggressive blocking.

Can I see a list of everyone I have blocked?

Yahoo Mail does not show a central list of blocked senders. You can only unblock someone by finding one of their emails in your Spam folder. If you need to remember who you blocked, you may want to keep a note outside of Yahoo.

Do blocked emails take up storage space?

Yes. Emails in your Spam folder count toward your Yahoo Mail storage limit, even if they are from blocked senders. If you want to free up space, you can delete emails from Spam manually, or Yahoo will automatically delete Spam older than 30 days.

Can I block emails from a company's entire domain?

Yahoo Mail does not have a built-in way to block an entire domain (like all emails from @company.com). You can block individual email addresses or create filters for specific words. If you need to block many addresses from the same organization, you will need to block them one at a time as they arrive.