Blocking a sender in Yahoo Mail stops their messages from reaching your inbox

When you block someone in Yahoo Mail, their emails go straight to your spam folder instead of your inbox. You can block a sender in two ways: from an open email, or from your contacts list. The block stays in place until you remove it — Yahoo does not set an expiration date. Blocked senders can still send you messages, but you will not see them unless you check your spam folder or unblock them later.

Blocking is different from unsubscribing. If someone sends you marketing emails with an unsubscribe link, clicking that link removes you from their mailing list. Blocking is for people you do not want to hear from at all, whether they are spammers, unwanted contacts, or anyone else.

Key Takeaways

  • You can block a sender directly from an email by clicking the block icon or using the "Block" option in the message menu.
  • Blocked emails go to your spam folder, not deleted, so you can review them if you change your mind.
  • You can view your full block list in Yahoo Mail settings and unblock anyone at any time.
  • Blocking someone in Yahoo Mail does not prevent them from sending you messages — it only hides them from your inbox.

Block a sender from an open email

Open the email from the person you want to block. Look at the top of the message, near the sender's name and email address. You will see a row of icons — one of them looks like a circle with a line through it (the block icon). Click that icon.

A small menu will appear asking you to confirm. Click "Block" or "Block sender" depending on your Yahoo Mail version. Yahoo will move that email to spam and add the sender to your block list. Any future emails from that address will go directly to spam.

If you do not see the block icon, click the three-dot menu icon (⋯) at the top right of the email. Select "Block sender" from the dropdown menu. The result is the same — the sender is added to your block list.

Block a sender from your contacts

Open Yahoo Mail and click "Contacts" in the left sidebar. Find the person you want to block in your contacts list. Click their name to open their contact card.

At the top of the contact card, click the three-dot menu icon (⋯). Select "Block contact" from the menu. Yahoo will add them to your block list when ready. If you receive emails from them in the future, those messages will go to spam.

View and manage your block list

To see everyone you have blocked, click the gear icon (⚙) in the top right corner of Yahoo Mail. Select "Settings" from the dropdown menu. Click "Security and privacy" in the left sidebar.

Scroll down until you see "Blocked addresses." This section shows every email address you have blocked. To unblock someone, find their address in the list and click the "X" or "Remove" button next to their name. Once you unblock them, their emails will no longer go to spam — they will arrive in your inbox like any other message.

What happens when you block someone

When you block a sender, Yahoo Mail does three things: it moves their current email to your spam folder, it sends all future emails from that address to spam, and it adds their email address to your block list. The sender does not receive a notification that you have blocked them. They will not know their messages are going to spam unless you tell them.

If the blocked person uses a different email address, messages from that new address will not be blocked automatically. You will need to block each address separately. This is why blocking works best for people who contact you from a single, consistent email address.

Unblocking a sender

If you change your mind about blocking someone, go back to Settings > Security and privacy > Blocked addresses. Find the person's email address in the list and click the "X" or "Remove" button. They are now unblocked, and their future emails will arrive in your inbox normally.

Unblocking someone does not move their old emails out of spam. Those messages stay in your spam folder. If you want to see an email they sent while they were blocked, you will need to go to your spam folder and find it there.

When blocking does not work the way you expect

If you block someone but keep receiving emails from them, they may be using a different email address each time. Check the sender's address on each new email — if it changes, you are dealing with multiple addresses and need to block each one separately.

Another possibility is that the emails are coming from an automated system or mailing list. Blocking the sender address may not stop system-generated messages. In that case, look for an unsubscribe link in the email itself, usually at the very bottom. Clicking that link is often more effective than blocking.

If you block someone and then want to receive emails from them again, remember that unblocking only affects future messages. You will still need to check your spam folder for emails they sent while blocked.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Yahoo Mail does not have a built-in feature to block all addresses from a domain at once. You can only block individual email addresses. If you receive many unwanted emails from the same domain, you may want to set up a filter rule instead, which can catch all messages from that domain automatically.

Will the person I block know that I blocked them?

No. Yahoo does not notify blocked senders. They will not receive any message or alert. If they try to contact you through another method and ask why you are not responding to their emails, they will not know the reason unless you tell them.

What is the difference between blocking and reporting spam?

Blocking adds someone to your personal block list and sends their future emails to spam. Reporting spam tells Yahoo that the sender is a spammer, which helps Yahoo identify and block that address for all users. You can do both at the same time — most email clients let you report and block in one action.

If I block someone, can they still see my emails if I sent them something before?

Blocking only affects emails they send to you going forward. It does not delete or hide emails you already sent them, and it does not prevent them from reading messages you sent in the past. Blocking is one-way — it only stops their incoming messages from reaching your inbox.

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

Blocking works only by sender address. If you want to filter emails by subject line, keywords, or content, you need to create a filter rule in your Yahoo Mail settings instead. Filters can automatically send matching emails to spam or another folder without blocking the sender.