The fastest way to block someone in Gmail

Open the email from the person you want to block. Click the three dots menu in the top right corner of the message, then select "Block [sender's name]". Gmail will when ready send their future emails to your spam folder and delete any existing messages from them.

That is the complete process. Once blocked, you will not see emails from that address in your inbox, and Gmail will not notify you when they send messages. If you change your mind later, you can unblock them from the same menu — just open a blocked sender's email (which Gmail keeps in spam), click the three dots, and choose "Unblock".

Blocking works at the email address level, not the person level. If someone sends from multiple addresses, you will need to block each one separately.

Key Takeaways

  • You can block an email address directly from any message by clicking the three dots menu and selecting "Block [sender's name]".
  • Blocked emails go to spam automatically, and Gmail deletes messages that were already in your inbox from that sender.
  • Blocking only affects the specific email address — if the sender uses a different address, you will need to block that one too.
  • You can unblock someone at any time by opening their spam folder email, clicking the three dots menu, and selecting "Unblock".
  • Blocking is different from marking as spam; blocking also removes past emails, while spam just filters future ones.

Where to find the block option if you do not see the three dots menu

On a desktop or laptop, the three dots menu appears in the top right of every email. If you are on a phone or tablet, you may need to scroll up or tap the sender's name at the top of the message to reveal the menu options.

In Gmail's web version, you can also block someone from your contact list. Go to Contacts, find the person, click their name, and look for a "Block" option in the dropdown menu next to their email address. This method works the same way as blocking from an email.

What happens to emails after you block someone

When you block an address, Gmail automatically moves all existing emails from that sender to your spam folder. You will not see them in your inbox anymore, but they are not permanently deleted — they stay in spam for 30 days before Gmail removes them.

Any new emails from that address will go straight to spam without appearing in your inbox or triggering notifications. You can still access them in your spam folder if you need to, but Gmail will not alert you that they arrived.

Blocking versus marking as spam — which one to use

Marking an email as spam tells Gmail that future messages from that address should go to spam, but it does not delete the current email from your inbox. Blocking does both: it sends future emails to spam and removes past emails to the spam folder.

Use blocking when you want to completely remove someone from your inbox and do not want to see their past messages. Use "Mark as spam" when you want to filter future emails but keep the current one visible for reference. For unwanted senders, blocking is usually the stronger choice.

Unblocking someone and what to expect

To unblock an address, open your spam folder, find an email from that sender, click the three dots menu, and select "Unblock [sender's name]". Gmail will not restore the emails that were moved to spam — they stay there. Future emails from that address will return to your inbox normally.

If you unblock someone by mistake, you can block them again when ready. There is no waiting period or limit to how many times you can block and unblock the same address.

Blocking email addresses that look like they are from Gmail

Some senders use addresses that look official but are not — for example, "noreply@gmail.com" or addresses that mimic Google services. You can block these the same way you block any other address. Gmail will not prevent you from blocking addresses that appear to be from Google itself, though in practice these are usually legitimate system messages.

If you are receiving unwanted emails from what looks like a Google service, check the full email address carefully. Scammers often use addresses that are close to real ones but not exact. Blocking the exact address shown in the "From" line will stop those messages.

When blocking is not enough — reporting abuse

Blocking stops emails from reaching your inbox, but it does not report the sender to Gmail. If you are receiving harassment, threats, or phishing attempts, use the "Report phishing" or "Report spam" option instead of just blocking. Click the three dots menu and select the appropriate report option.

Reporting helps Gmail identify patterns of abuse and can lead to the sender's account being suspended. Blocking only protects you; reporting protects other Gmail users. You can do both — report the email and then block the address.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone tell if I blocked them?

No. When you block someone, they will not receive a notification. Their emails will straightforward fail to reach your inbox, and they may assume you are not responding. Gmail does not send a message to blocked senders saying they have been blocked.

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 sends from a different address, those emails will arrive normally in your inbox. You will need to block each address separately. If this becomes a pattern, report the behavior to Gmail as harassment.

Do blocked emails take up storage space?

Emails in your spam folder count toward your Gmail storage limit. If you want to free up space, you can permanently delete spam emails by opening the spam folder, selecting all, and clicking delete. Blocked emails will be automatically deleted after 30 days anyway.

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

Gmail does not have a built-in feature to block all emails from a domain at once. You have to block individual addresses. If you are receiving many unwanted emails from the same domain, you can create a filter rule instead: go to Settings, Filters and Blocked Addresses, and set up a rule to automatically delete or skip emails from addresses containing that domain name.

Will blocking someone remove them from my contacts?

No. Blocking only affects incoming emails. The person will still appear in your contacts list, and you can still see their information. If you want to remove them from contacts entirely, you will need to delete them separately from your contact list.