Blocking stops someone from reaching you, but Gmail keeps their messages

When you block someone on Gmail, their emails no longer land in your inbox. Instead, they go straight to spam. The person does not get a notification that you blocked them, and they cannot see that their messages are being filtered — from their end, it looks like their email went through normally.

Blocking is different from unsubscribing. Unsubscribe removes you from a mailing list; blocking stops one specific person from contacting you at all. You can block anyone with an email address, whether they have a Gmail account or not.

The blocked messages stay in your spam folder for 30 days before Gmail deletes them automatically. You can still read them if you need to, but you will not see notifications about them.

Key Takeaways

  • Open the email from the person you want to block, click the three dots in the top right, and select "Block [sender name]" from the menu.
  • Blocked emails go to spam automatically; the sender does not know they are blocked.
  • You can unblock someone later by going to Settings, clicking the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab, finding their address, and clicking Unblock.
  • Blocking only affects new messages; old emails from that person stay in your inbox unless you delete them yourself.
  • If someone is harassing you, blocking is a first step, but you may also want to report the messages as spam or phishing depending on what they contain.

How to block someone in three steps

Open Gmail and find any email from the person you want to block. Click on the email to open it. At the top right of the message, you will see three vertical dots (sometimes called a menu icon). Click those dots.

A dropdown menu appears. Look for the option that says "Block [sender's name]" — it is usually near the bottom of the menu. Click it. Gmail will ask you to confirm; click "Block" again. That is it. From now on, emails from that address go straight to spam.

If you have already deleted the email from that person, you can still block them. Go to your spam folder, find their email, open it, click the three dots, and select Block.

What happens after you block someone

Once you block someone, every future email from that address lands in spam. You will not see a notification about it. If they send you 50 emails, all 50 go to spam without you knowing they arrived.

The person who is blocked cannot tell they have been blocked. Their email client will show the message as sent successfully. They might wonder why you are not responding, but Gmail does not tell them the reason.

Emails that arrived before you blocked someone stay in your inbox. Blocking only affects new messages going forward. If you want to remove old emails from that person, you have to delete them yourself or move them to spam.

How to unblock someone if you change your mind

Go to Gmail Settings by clicking the gear icon in the top right corner and selecting "See all settings." Click the "Filters and Blocked Addresses" tab. Scroll down to the section labeled "Blocked addresses." You will see a list of everyone you have blocked.

Find the person you want to unblock. Click the "Unblock" button next to their email address. Confirm when Gmail asks. Their emails will no longer go to spam automatically, and new messages from them will appear in your inbox like normal.

Blocking versus reporting as spam or phishing

Blocking and reporting are two different actions. When you block someone, you stop seeing their emails. When you report an email as spam or phishing, you tell Gmail that the message is unwanted or dangerous, which helps Gmail's filters catch similar messages for other users.

If someone is sending you unwanted marketing emails, blocking is usually enough. If someone is trying to trick you into clicking a link, stealing your password, or pretending to be your bank, report the message as phishing instead of just blocking. You can do both — report it as phishing and then block the sender.

To report an email as spam or phishing, open the message, click the three dots, and select either "Report spam" or "Report phishing." Gmail will move the message to spam and use it to improve its filters.

When blocking is not enough

If someone is harassing you repeatedly, threatening you, or impersonating you, blocking is a start but may not be the complete solution. Blocking stops their emails, but it does not stop them from creating new email addresses and contacting you again.

If the harassment is serious, take screenshots of the messages and consider reporting them to local law enforcement. If someone is impersonating you or a business you represent, you can report that to Google directly through the Gmail help center.

For ongoing harassment from the same person using multiple addresses, you might want to create a filter that automatically sends emails from certain keywords or domains to spam, rather than blocking each address one at a time.

Blocking on mobile Gmail

The process is the same on your phone. Open the Gmail app, find the email from the person you want to block, and tap it to open it. Tap the three dots in the top right corner. Select "Block [sender name]." Confirm when the app asks.

To unblock someone on mobile, open Settings in the Gmail app, scroll down and tap "Blocked addresses," find the person, and tap "Unblock."

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone tell if I blocked them on Gmail?

No. Their emails will appear to send successfully from their end. They will not receive a notification or see any indication that you blocked them. They might notice you are not responding, but Gmail does not tell them why.

If I block someone, do they see my old emails?

Blocking does not affect emails that already exist. Old messages from that person stay in your inbox unless you delete them. Blocking only stops new messages from reaching you.

Can I block an entire domain instead of one person?

Gmail does not have a built-in block-by-domain feature, but you can create a filter. Go to Settings, click Filters and Blocked Addresses, and create a new filter that sends emails from a specific domain to spam automatically.

What if someone creates a new email address after I block them?

You will have to block the new address separately. If someone is repeatedly contacting you from new addresses, create a filter based on keywords in the subject line or message body instead of blocking individual addresses.

Do blocked emails stay in spam forever?

No. Gmail automatically deletes emails from your spam folder after 30 days. If you need to keep a record of blocked messages, move them to a folder before the 30 days are up.