Blocking stops someone from reaching your inbox
When you block an email address in Gmail, messages from that sender go straight to spam and you stop seeing notifications about them. The blocked person can still send mail — Gmail just filters it away from your view. Blocking takes 10 seconds and works on any device where you use Gmail.
You block a single address, not a whole domain. If someone has multiple email accounts, you will need to block each one separately. Blocking also does not delete messages already in your inbox — those stay where they are unless you delete them yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Open any email from the sender you want to block, click the three-dot menu, and select "Block [sender]" to send their future messages to spam.
- Blocked messages land in your spam folder automatically, but Gmail does not delete them — you can review them later if needed.
- Blocking one email address does not block similar addresses from the same person, so you may need to block multiple accounts if someone creates new ones.
- You can unblock a sender at any time by going to Settings, opening the Blocked and unsubscribed addresses tab, and clicking Unblock next to their name.
- Blocking is different from unsubscribing — unsubscribe removes you from mailing lists, while blocking stops all mail from a specific person.
How to block someone in Gmail on a computer
Open Gmail in your web browser 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 (the menu button). Click those dots.
A dropdown menu appears. Look for the option that says "Block [sender's email address]" — the exact wording changes based on who sent it. Click that option. Gmail shows a confirmation message saying the sender has been blocked. From that moment on, their emails go to spam.
How to block someone in Gmail on your phone
Open the Gmail app on your Android or iPhone. Find and tap any email from the sender you want to block. Tap the three-dot menu icon at the top right of the message.
Scroll down in the menu that appears until you see "Block [sender]". Tap it. Gmail confirms the block is active. The sender's future emails will arrive in your spam folder instead of your inbox.
What happens after you block someone
All new emails from the blocked address go directly to your spam folder. You will not get a notification when they send you mail. If you check your spam folder, you can still read their messages — blocking just hides them from your main inbox and notifications.
Emails that arrived before you blocked the sender stay in your inbox. Blocking only affects new mail going forward. If you want to remove old messages from a blocked sender, you have to delete them yourself.
How to unblock someone if you change your mind
Go to Gmail Settings by clicking the gear icon in the top right corner of the page 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 and click the "Unblock" button next to their name. Their emails will no longer go to spam — they will arrive in your inbox like any other message.
Blocking versus unsubscribing
Blocking and unsubscribing do different things. When you unsubscribe from an email, you are removing yourself from a mailing list — usually a newsletter or promotional emails from a business. The sender can still contact you if they have a reason to, but they stop sending regular bulk mail.
Blocking stops all mail from a specific email address. Use unsubscribe for marketing emails and newsletters you no longer want. Use block for people or addresses sending you unwanted personal mail, spam, or harassment.
To unsubscribe, look for an "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of the email. Click it and follow the steps. If there is no unsubscribe link, that is a sign the email may be spam — in that case, blocking is the right choice.
When blocking does not work the way you expect
Blocking one email address does not block similar addresses. If someone sends you mail from john.smith@example.com and you block it, they can still reach you from johnsmith@example.com or john.smith.work@example.com. You have to block each address separately.
If you are being harassed by someone creating new email accounts to contact you, blocking alone may not be enough. In that case, consider reporting the emails as spam or phishing. You can also set up a filter to automatically delete mail from certain keywords or senders — go to Settings, Filters and Blocked Addresses, and click "Create a new filter".
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the person I blocked tell that I blocked them?
No. Gmail does not notify someone when you block them. Their emails straightforward go to spam without any message back to them. They will not receive a bounce-back or any indication that you blocked them.
If I block someone, do old emails from them disappear?
No. Blocking only affects new emails going forward. Any messages from that sender that are already in your inbox stay there. You can delete them manually if you want them gone, but blocking does not remove them automatically.
What is the difference between blocking and reporting spam?
Reporting spam tells Gmail the message is unwanted and helps train Gmail's spam filter for all users. Blocking just hides that sender's mail from you. You can do both — report the email as spam and then block the address.
Can I block an entire domain instead of one email address?
Gmail does not have a built-in block-by-domain feature. You have to block individual email addresses. If you want to block all mail from a domain, you can create a filter in Settings that automatically deletes or sends to spam any mail from addresses ending in that domain.
If I unblock someone, will their old emails come back to my inbox?
No. Unblocking just stops the filtering — their future emails will arrive normally. Old emails that went to spam while they were blocked stay in your spam folder unless you move them back to your inbox manually.