Block a sender directly from your inbox
The fastest way to block an email on Yahoo is to open the message and click the three-dot menu in the top right corner. Select Block sender from the dropdown. Yahoo will move that sender's future emails to your spam folder automatically, and you will not see notifications when they arrive.
If you have already deleted the email, you can still block the sender. Go to your Spam folder, find any message from that address, open it, and use the same three-dot menu to block them. Once blocked, any new messages from that address go straight to spam without reaching your inbox.
Blocking works on the sender's email address, not their name. If someone uses multiple addresses to contact you, you will need to block each one separately. Yahoo keeps a list of blocked senders in your account settings, so you can unblock someone later if you change your mind.
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 emails go to your spam folder automatically, and you will not receive notifications about them.
- Blocking stops one email address at a time, so if a sender uses multiple addresses, you must block each one separately.
- You can view your list of blocked senders in account settings and unblock someone if needed.
- Blocking a sender does not delete their past emails — those remain in your inbox unless you delete them manually.
Where to find your blocked senders list
Your blocked senders are stored in Yahoo Mail settings. Click the gear icon in the top right of your inbox, then select Settings. In the left sidebar, click Security and privacy, then scroll down to find Blocked addresses.
This page shows every email address you have blocked. You can add new addresses by typing them into the text field and clicking Add. You can also remove someone from the blocked list by clicking the X next to their address. Unblocking them means their emails will return to your inbox instead of going to spam.
What happens when you block someone
When you block an email address on Yahoo, that sender's messages go to your spam folder instead of your inbox. You will not see a notification when they send you something. The sender does not receive any notification that you blocked them — they will not know their emails are being filtered.
Blocking does not delete emails that person already sent you. If you want to remove their past messages, you need to delete them manually from your inbox. Blocking only affects new messages going forward.
If the blocked sender changes their email address, their new messages will come through normally unless you block that address too. This is why blocking works best for one-time spam or harassment — persistent senders often use new addresses to get around blocks.
Using filters for more control
Blocking sends all future emails from one address to spam, but filters give you more options. You can create a filter that automatically deletes emails, moves them to a specific folder, or marks them as read without sending them to spam.
To create a filter, go to Settings, then click Filters in the left sidebar. Click Add new filter and enter the sender's email address in the "From" field. Choose what you want to happen to their emails — delete, move to a folder, or mark as read. Filters work alongside blocking and give you finer control over how messages are handled.
Blocking email addresses that look similar to real ones
Scammers sometimes use addresses that look almost like legitimate companies — for example, "paypa1.com" instead of "paypal.com" or "amaz0n-security.com" instead of "amazon.com". Blocking these addresses helps, but the real protection is not opening links or attachments from senders you do not recognize.
If you receive a suspicious email claiming to be from your bank or a service you use, do not click anything in the message. Instead, go directly to the company's website by typing the address into your browser, or call the phone number on your account statement. Then you can report the fake email to the real company.
Yahoo's spam filter catches many of these automatically, but some still reach your inbox. Blocking them prevents future messages from the same address, though scammers usually abandon addresses once they stop working.
When blocking is not enough
If someone keeps contacting you from different email addresses, blocking each one individually becomes tedious. In that case, you can create a filter that blocks entire domains — for example, blocking all addresses ending in "@fakebankname.com" instead of just one specific address.
To do this, go to Filters in Settings and enter the domain in the "From" field using a wildcard: *@fakebankname.com. This catches any email from that domain. Use this carefully, though — if you accidentally block a domain you need, legitimate emails will be filtered too.
For serious harassment or threats, blocking and filtering are not enough. Contact Yahoo's abuse team by forwarding the threatening message to abuse@yahoo.com. If the harassment involves threats of violence or criminal activity, report it to local law enforcement as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I block an email address if I have already deleted the message?
Yes. Go to your Spam folder and find any message from that sender, then open it and use the three-dot menu to block them. If you have no messages from them in spam, you can also add their address manually in Settings under Blocked addresses.
Will the person I blocked know that I blocked them?
No. They will not receive any notification. Their emails will straightforward go to spam on your end, and they will have no way of knowing unless they contact you through another method and you tell them.
What is the difference between blocking and filtering?
Blocking automatically sends a sender's emails to spam. Filtering gives you more options — you can delete emails, move them to a folder, mark them as read, or send them to spam. Filters are more flexible if you want to organize emails instead of just hiding them.
Can I block an entire domain instead of one email address?
Yes, using filters. Go to Settings, click Filters, and enter *@domainname.com in the From field. This blocks all addresses from that domain. Be careful with this — if you block a domain you actually need, you will miss legitimate emails.
If I unblock someone, will their old emails come back to my inbox?
No. Unblocking only stops new emails from going to spam. Their past messages stay where they are — in your inbox if they were there before, or in spam if they were filtered there. You will need to move them manually if you want them in a different folder.