Block a sender directly from your inbox

The fastest way to stop emails from a specific sender is to open the message, click the three dots (more options) at the top right, and select Block. Yahoo will move that sender's future emails to your spam folder automatically. You do not need to do anything else — the block takes effect when ready.

If you have already deleted the email, you can still block the sender. Go to your Spam folder, find an email from that sender, open it, and use the same three-dot menu to block them. This works even if you have not received a recent message from them.

Blocked senders cannot reach your inbox, but Yahoo keeps a record of the block. If you change your mind later, you can unblock them by going to Settings, selecting Blocked Addresses, finding the sender's email, and clicking Unblock.

Key Takeaways

  • Open any email from a sender you want to block, click the three dots at the top right, and select Block to send their future messages to spam.
  • Blocked senders' emails go to your spam folder, not your inbox, but you can still see them if you check spam.
  • You can unblock a sender at any time by going to Settings, Blocked Addresses, and clicking Unblock next to their name.
  • Blocking works for individual email addresses, not entire domains, so a sender using multiple addresses will need to be blocked separately for each one.
  • If someone is harassing you through email, blocking is a first step, but you may also want to report the messages as spam or phishing.

Block multiple senders at once using the Blocked Addresses list

If you want to block someone without opening their email first, go to Settings (the gear icon at the top right), then select Blocked Addresses. Type the email address you want to block into the text field and click Add. You can add as many addresses as you need, one at a time.

This method is useful when you know a sender's address but have not received an email from them yet, or when you want to block someone before they contact you. It is also the place to go if you want to see everyone you have already blocked or remove someone from your blocked list.

Understand what blocking does and does not do

When you block an address in Yahoo, emails from that sender go to your spam folder instead of your inbox. You will not see a notification, and the message will not clutter your main view. However, the email still exists in your spam folder — it is not deleted. If you want to permanently remove blocked emails, you will need to empty your spam folder manually or set it to auto-delete after 30 days.

Blocking only works for the exact email address you block. If a sender uses a different address — for example, firstname.lastname@domain.com instead of firstnamelastname@domain.com — that new address will not be blocked. Scammers and spammers often use multiple addresses, so you may need to block several variations of the same sender.

Blocking does not stop someone from contacting you through other means, such as phone, text, or social media. It only affects Yahoo Mail.

Report spam and phishing before or after blocking

If an email looks like spam, phishing, or a scam, report it to Yahoo before you block the sender. Open the email, click the three dots, and select Report Phishing or Report Spam. This tells Yahoo about the message so they can improve their filters and protect other users. Reporting does not delete the email — you will still need to delete it or block the sender separately.

Phishing emails pretend to be from banks, payment services, or other trusted companies and ask you to click a link or enter your password. Never click links in suspicious emails, even if they look official. Report the message and delete it. Spam is usually promotional or repetitive and less dangerous, but reporting it still helps Yahoo identify patterns.

Use filters to organize or delete emails automatically

If you want to do more than block a sender — for example, automatically delete their emails or sort them into a folder — use Yahoo's filter feature. Go to Settings, then select Filters. Click Add New Filter, enter the sender's address or a keyword in the "From" field, and choose what you want to happen to matching emails: move to a folder, mark as read, or delete automatically.

Filters are more flexible than blocking because you can create rules based on subject lines, keywords, or sender domains. For example, you could filter all emails containing "unsubscribe" to a folder, or automatically delete emails from a specific company domain. However, filters take a few minutes to explore to new incoming mail, whereas blocking takes effect when ready.

Unblock a sender if you change your mind

To unblock someone, go to Settings, select Blocked Addresses, find the sender's email in the list, and click the X or Unblock button next to their name. Their future emails will go to your inbox again instead of spam. This does not recover emails that were already sent to spam while they were blocked — those remain in your spam folder unless you move them manually.

If you unblock someone and then want to block them again, you can use the same process. There is no limit to how many times you can block and unblock addresses.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Yahoo Mail does not have a built-in feature to block entire domains. You have to block individual email addresses. If you are receiving spam from many addresses at the same domain, you can create a filter using a wildcard — for example, *@spammydomain.com — to automatically delete or move emails from that domain.

Will the sender know I blocked them?

No. Yahoo does not send a notification to blocked senders. They will not receive a bounce-back message or any indication that you blocked them. Their emails straightforward go to spam, and they will not know why their messages are not reaching you.

What is the difference between blocking and reporting spam?

Reporting spam tells Yahoo about the message so they can improve their filters for all users. Blocking prevents that specific sender's emails from reaching your inbox. You can do both: report the email as spam, then block the sender. Reporting is optional, but blocking is what stops the emails from showing up.

Can I block emails by subject line instead of sender?

Blocking only works by email address. To filter by subject line, use the Filters feature instead. Go to Settings, Filters, Add New Filter, and enter keywords from the subject line you want to block. Then choose to delete, move, or mark those emails automatically.

If I block someone, will they still see my replies to their old emails?

If you have already replied to someone before blocking them, they will receive your reply. Blocking only stops their future emails from reaching you — it does not affect emails you have already sent or conversations that are already in progress. Once blocked, any new emails they send will go to your spam folder.