Block an email address directly from your inbox

To block a sender in Yahoo Mail, open the email from that person and look for the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner of the message. Click it, then select Block sender. Yahoo will move that sender's future emails to your spam folder automatically, and you won't see notifications when they arrive.

If you want to block someone without opening their email, you can right-click on their name or email address in your inbox list. A menu will appear with the option to block. This works the same way — all future messages from that address go straight to spam.

Once you block an address, Yahoo stores it in your blocked senders list. You can view, add to, or remove addresses from this list anytime by going to Settings, then Accounts, then Security, and scrolling to Blocked users.

Key Takeaways

  • Blocking a sender sends their future emails to your spam folder instead of your inbox, and you won't get notifications.
  • You can block someone by opening their email, clicking the three-dot menu, and selecting Block sender.
  • Right-clicking an email address in your inbox list is faster if you don't want to open the message first.
  • Your blocked senders list lives in Settings under Security, where you can add or remove addresses at any time.
  • Blocking only affects new emails — messages already in your inbox from that sender stay there unless you delete them.

Where blocked emails go and what you'll see

When you block someone, their emails don't disappear — they go to your spam folder. You can still read them if you check spam, but Yahoo won't alert you when they arrive. This is different from deleting: the emails are kept in case you need to review them later.

If a blocked sender uses a different email address, Yahoo won't automatically block the new address. You'll need to block each address separately. This matters if someone is harassing you from multiple accounts — you may need to block several addresses over time.

Unblocking a sender if you change your mind

To unblock someone, go to Settings, select Accounts, then Security. Scroll down to Blocked users and you'll see a list of every address you've blocked. Find the one you want to unblock and click the X next to it. That person's emails will start arriving in your inbox again instead of spam.

Unblocking is when ready — there's no waiting period. The next email from that sender will come through normally. If you unblock by mistake, you can block them again the same way you did the first time.

The difference between blocking and other options

Yahoo gives you several ways to handle unwanted mail, and blocking is just one. Filtering lets you automatically sort emails from certain senders into folders you choose — useful if you want to keep emails but organize them separately. Spam reporting tells Yahoo the message is junk, which helps train their spam filter for everyone. Blocking is the strongest option: it sends everything to spam and stops notifications.

Use blocking when you don't want to see messages from someone at all. Use filtering if you want to keep their emails but have them go somewhere other than your inbox. Use spam reporting for one-off junk emails from addresses you'll probably never hear from again.

What happens if a blocked sender tries to contact you

A blocked sender won't know they're blocked. They'll send the email normally and won't receive any bounce-back message or notification that you blocked them. From their perspective, the email went through. On your end, it lands in spam and you see no alert.

If a blocked sender is trying to reach you for something important, they might try a different email address or contact method. That's why it's worth checking your spam folder occasionally if you're expecting communication from someone — you might have blocked them by mistake, or they might be using a different address.

Blocking on mobile Yahoo Mail

The process on a phone or tablet is nearly the same. Open the email from the sender you want to block, tap the three-dot menu icon (usually in the top right), and select Block sender. On some phones, you may need to swipe left on an email in your inbox list to see a block option appear.

Your blocked senders list syncs across devices, so if you block someone on your phone, they're blocked on your computer too. The same goes for unblocking — it takes effect everywhere you use Yahoo Mail.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will a blocked sender know I blocked them?

No. Their email will send normally from their perspective, and they won't receive any notification or bounce-back message. They'll have no way to know unless you tell them.

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

Yahoo's block feature works on individual email addresses only, not whole domains. If you're getting spam from many addresses at the same domain, you'll need to block each one separately, or use filtering to send all mail from that domain to a folder.

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

Yahoo won't automatically block the new address. You'll see the email from the new address in your inbox and can block it the same way. If someone is harassing you from multiple accounts, you may need to block several addresses.

Can I block emails by subject line or content instead of sender?

Blocking works by sender address only. If you want to filter emails by subject or keywords, use Yahoo's filter feature instead, which lets you create rules based on content and send matching emails to folders automatically.

If I unblock someone, will their old emails come back to my inbox?

No. Unblocking only affects new emails going forward. Emails that went to spam while they were blocked stay in your spam folder. You'd need to move them manually if you want them back in your inbox.