The fastest way to stop unwanted email
The simplest method is to mark the email as spam or junk in whatever email service you use — Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, or another provider. When you do this, that sender's future emails go straight to your spam folder instead of your inbox. Most email services also let you block a sender entirely, which prevents their messages from arriving at all.
The difference matters: marking as spam trains your email service to recognize similar messages from that sender, while blocking stops them completely. For most unwanted email, marking as spam is enough. Blocking is useful when a sender keeps trying after you have marked them as spam, or when you want to be absolutely certain you will not see their messages.
You do not need to open the email to block it. In Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo Mail, you can right-click the sender's name in your inbox list and choose "Block" or "Mark as spam" without reading the message. This matters because some unwanted emails contain links or images designed to confirm your email address is active — opening them tells the sender you exist.
Key Takeaways
- Marking an email as spam or junk sends future messages from that sender to your spam folder and trains your email service to catch similar messages.
- Blocking a sender stops their emails from reaching you entirely, but marking as spam is usually sufficient for most unwanted mail.
- You can block or mark as spam without opening the email by right-clicking the sender's name in your inbox list.
- Unsubscribe links in legitimate marketing emails work, but only use them for companies you recognize — scammers use fake unsubscribe links to confirm your email is active.
- Creating filters or rules lets you automatically sort or delete emails from certain senders or with certain words, which is useful for newsletters you want to keep but organize separately.
How to block a sender in Gmail
Open Gmail and find an email from the sender you want to block. Click the three vertical dots (the menu icon) in the top right of the email. A dropdown menu appears — select "Block [sender's name]." Gmail will then send all future emails from that address to your spam folder.
If you want to block a sender without opening their email, go to your inbox, right-click on their name in the email list, and choose "Block." The result is the same: their future messages go to spam. You can also block a sender from your spam folder itself — this prevents them from ever reaching your inbox again, even if Gmail's filters miss them.
To unblock a sender later, go to Gmail Settings (the gear icon in the top right), click "See all settings," then go to the "Filters and Blocked Addresses" tab. You will see a list of blocked senders. Click "Unblock" next to any sender you want to receive email from again.
How to block a sender in Outlook
In Outlook (both the web version and the desktop app), open an email from the sender you want to block. Click the three dots menu at the top of the email and select "Block." Outlook will move that sender's emails to your junk folder and prevent future messages from reaching your inbox.
You can also block a sender from your inbox list by right-clicking their name and choosing "Block." If you change your mind, go to Settings (the gear icon), then "Mail" and "Junk email." Click "Blocked senders" to see your list. Select any sender and click "Remove from list" to unblock them.
How to block a sender in Yahoo Mail
Open an email from the sender you want to block and click the three dots menu. Select "Block sender." Yahoo Mail will send their future emails to your spam folder. You can also block a sender by right-clicking their name in your inbox and choosing "Block."
To see your blocked senders or unblock someone, click the gear icon in the top right, select "Settings," then go to "Security and privacy." Click "Blocked addresses" to view and manage your list.
When to use unsubscribe instead of blocking
Many legitimate companies — retailers, news sites, charities, and subscription services — include an "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of their emails. If you recognize the company and straightforward do not want their emails anymore, clicking unsubscribe is the right choice. It removes you from their mailing list entirely, and they stop sending you email.
The risk is that scammers also include fake unsubscribe links. Clicking them confirms your email address is real and active, which makes you a target for more scams. The rule: only unsubscribe from companies you recognize and have done business with. For everything else, mark as spam or block instead.
If you unsubscribe and the company keeps sending email, mark them as spam. Legitimate companies respect unsubscribe requests; if they ignore yours, they are not legitimate.
Using filters and rules to organize unwanted email
Blocking and marking as spam remove unwanted email from your inbox, but filters (in Gmail) or rules (in Outlook and Yahoo) let you automatically sort, delete, or move email based on the sender or the words in the subject line. This is useful when you want to keep receiving email from someone — like a newsletter you subscribed to — but move it out of your main inbox so it does not clutter your view.
In Gmail, go to Settings, then "Filters and Blocked Addresses," and click "Create a new filter." Type the sender's email address or a word that appears in their subject line. Click "Create filter," then choose what to do with matching emails: archive them, mark them as read, explore a label, or delete them. Most people use labels to organize newsletters into separate folders.
In Outlook, go to Settings, then "Mail," then "Rules." Click "Add new rule," name it, and set conditions — for example, "from [sender's address]" or "subject contains [word]." Then choose an action: move to a folder, delete, or mark as read. In Yahoo Mail, the process is similar: go to Settings, then "Filters," and create a new filter with conditions and actions.
What to do about bulk unwanted email
If you receive a sudden flood of unwanted email from many different senders, your email address may have been sold to a mailing list or exposed in a data breach. Blocking each sender individually is not practical. Instead, mark several of these emails as spam in quick succession — most email services will recognize the pattern and filter similar messages automatically.
You can also create a filter that catches common words in unwanted email. For example, if you are receiving many emails about weight loss or cryptocurrency, create a filter that automatically deletes or archives anything with those words in the subject line. Be careful with broad filters — you might accidentally catch legitimate email.
If the unwanted email is clearly a scam or phishing attempt, report it to your email service. In Gmail, click the three dots and select "Report phishing." In Outlook, click the three dots and choose "Report." In Yahoo Mail, click "Spam." Reporting helps your email service improve its filters for all users.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does blocking a sender delete their old emails?
No. Blocking only stops future emails from reaching your inbox. Old emails from that sender stay in your inbox or spam folder unless you delete them manually. If you want to remove them, search for the sender's name, select all their emails, and delete them.
Can a blocked sender tell that I blocked them?
No. When you block someone, they do not receive a notification. Their email straightforward fails to reach you, and they have no way of knowing why. They may assume the email bounced or that you changed your address.
What is the difference between marking as spam and blocking?
Marking as spam sends the email to your spam folder and trains your email service to recognize similar messages. Blocking prevents all future emails from that sender from reaching you at all. For most unwanted email, marking as spam is enough. Blocking is stronger and is useful when someone keeps trying after you have marked them as spam.
Will unsubscribing from a scam email stop the scams?
No. Clicking unsubscribe on a scam email confirms your address is active and usually leads to more scams. Mark scam emails as spam or block the sender instead. Only unsubscribe from companies you recognize and have done business with.
Can I block an entire domain, like all emails from @example.com?
Gmail does not have a built-in domain block, but you can create a filter that catches all emails from a domain. Go to Filters and Blocked Addresses, create a new filter with "from:@example.com" in the email field, and choose to delete or archive them. Outlook and Yahoo Mail have similar filter options.