Blocking stops an address 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 sender cannot tell they have been blocked — their mail straightforward disappears from your view. Blocking is permanent until you unblock, and it applies only to the exact address you block, not to variations like firstname.lastname@domain.com versus firstnamelastname@domain.com.
You can block from an open email, from a list of messages, or from a contact card. The process takes seconds and requires no settings changes or confirmation dialogs.
Key Takeaways
- Open any email from the sender you want to block, click the three-dot menu, and select "Block [sender]" to send all future mail from that address to spam.
- Blocking applies only to the exact email address shown — if a sender uses multiple addresses, you must block each one separately.
- Blocked mail goes to your spam folder, not deleted, so you can review it later if you change your mind.
- You can unblock a sender at any time by finding their message in spam, opening the three-dot menu, and selecting "Unblock [sender]".
- Blocking a contact does not automatically block their email address — you must use the block feature inside Gmail, not your contacts list.
Block a sender from an open email
Open the email from the person you want to block. Look for the three vertical dots (the menu icon) in the top right corner of the email, next to the archive and delete buttons. Click those three dots.
A dropdown menu appears. Select "Block [sender's email address]" — Gmail fills in the actual address for you. A confirmation message appears at the bottom of the screen saying the sender has been blocked. Any new mail from that address will go directly to spam.
Block a sender from your inbox list
You do not have to open an email to block it. In your inbox, hover your mouse over any message from the sender you want to block. Three icons appear on the right side of that row: archive, delete, and a three-dot menu. Click the three-dot menu.
Select "Block [sender]" from the dropdown. The message stays in your inbox (it does not move to spam when ready), but all future mail from that address will go to spam. If you want to remove the current message from your inbox, click archive or delete after blocking.
Block someone from their contact card
If you have saved the sender as a contact, you can block them from their contact card. Click the Contacts icon on the left side of Gmail (it looks like a person's head and shoulders). Find the contact you want to block and click their name to open their card.
Click the three-dot menu at the top right of the contact card. Select "Block this contact." Gmail blocks the email address shown on the card. If the contact has multiple email addresses listed, only the primary one is blocked — you must block additional addresses separately.
Unblock a sender if you change your mind
Blocked mail sits in your spam folder. To unblock someone, go to your spam folder and find an email from the sender you want to unblock. Open the message and click the three-dot menu in the top right corner.
Select "Unblock [sender]." The sender is when ready unblocked and their future mail will arrive in your inbox normally. Any messages already in spam stay there — unblocking does not move old mail back to your inbox. You can manually move them if you need them.
What happens to blocked mail
When you block an address, Gmail does not delete existing messages from that sender — it moves them to spam. You can still read blocked mail if you check your spam folder, which is useful if you block someone by mistake or change your mind later.
New messages from a blocked address arrive in spam within seconds of being sent. Gmail does not send you notifications about blocked mail, and the sender will not see a bounce-back or delivery failure message. From their perspective, the mail straightforward went through.
Block addresses that look similar to real ones
Scammers sometimes use addresses that look almost identical to legitimate ones — for example, rn@company.com instead of m@company.com, or company.com.fake@gmail.com instead of noreply@company.com. If you receive mail from a suspicious address that mimics a real sender, block it when ready.
Gmail's spam filter catches many of these, but not all. Blocking the exact address prevents that specific variation from reaching you again. If you notice a pattern of similar fake addresses from the same domain, report the messages as phishing instead of just blocking — this helps Gmail improve its filter for everyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I block an entire domain instead of just one address?
Gmail does not have a built-in feature to block all mail from a domain at once. You must block each address individually. If you receive many messages from the same domain, consider creating a filter instead: go to Settings, Filters and Blocked Addresses, and create a rule that sends all mail from that domain to spam or deletes it.
Will the person I block know I blocked them?
No. Their mail goes to spam silently. They will not receive a notification, bounce-back message, or any indication that you blocked them. From their perspective, the message was sent successfully.
What if someone blocks me — will I know?
You will not receive a notification that someone blocked you. Your mail will appear to send normally, but it will land in their spam folder instead of their inbox. There is no way to tell if a specific person has blocked you.
Can I block mail by subject line or content instead of sender?
Blocking only works by sender address. To filter mail by subject or content, use Gmail's filter feature instead. Go to Settings, Filters and Blocked Addresses, click Create a new filter, and enter the words or phrases you want to catch. You can send matching mail to spam or delete it automatically.
If I block someone, will they be removed from my contacts?
No. Blocking a sender does not delete them from your contacts list. If you want to remove them entirely, go to Contacts, find their name, click the three-dot menu on their card, and select "Delete contact." You can block and keep the contact, or delete them separately.