The fastest way to block someone in Gmail

Open the email from the person you want to block. Look for the three vertical dots (called the menu icon) in the top right corner of the email. Click it, then select Block "[sender's name]" from the dropdown menu. Gmail will move that sender's future emails to spam automatically.

That is the entire process. Once you block someone, their emails skip your inbox and go straight to your spam folder. You can still see them if you check spam, but they will not notify you or clutter your inbox.

If you change your mind later, you can unblock the sender by going to Gmail Settings, finding the Blocked addresses tab, and clicking Unblock next to their name.

Key Takeaways

  • Click the three-dot menu icon on any email and select Block to send that sender's future messages to spam.
  • Blocking only affects new emails — it does not delete or hide messages already in your inbox.
  • You can unblock someone anytime by going to Settings, then the Blocked addresses tab.
  • Blocked senders cannot tell they have been blocked, and they will not receive a notification.
  • If someone uses multiple email addresses, you will need to block each address separately.

Where to find the block option if you do not see the menu icon

On a computer, the three-dot menu appears in the top right of the email itself, not in the toolbar. If you are looking at your inbox list and not the full email, click the sender's name or subject line to open the message first.

On a phone or tablet, open the email and look for the three dots in the top right corner of the screen. Tap it and select Block from the menu. The steps are the same whether you use an iPhone, Android phone, or iPad.

If you use Gmail through Outlook or another email client that connects to your Gmail account, the block option may not be available in that app. Switch to Gmail's website or the official Gmail app to block the sender.

What happens after you block someone

All emails from the blocked sender go to your spam folder automatically. You will not see them in your inbox, and Gmail will not send you notifications about them. If the sender tries to reach you, they will not know whether you blocked them, deleted their email, or straightforward did not respond.

The block applies only to that specific email address. If the sender creates a new Gmail account or uses a different email address, those messages will arrive in your inbox normally unless you block that address too. This is why blocking works best for unwanted mail from known senders rather than as a spam filter for unknown addresses.

Blocking does not delete old emails from that sender. Messages already in your inbox stay there. If you want to remove them, you can select them and delete them manually, or use Gmail's search to find all messages from that sender and delete them in bulk.

Unblocking a sender if you blocked them by mistake

Go to Gmail Settings by clicking the gear icon in the top right corner of your inbox. Select See all settings. Click the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab.

Scroll down to the Blocked addresses section. 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 future emails will go back to your inbox normally.

Unblocking someone does not restore old emails they sent while they were blocked. Those messages remain in spam. You can move them back to your inbox manually if you need them.

Using filters instead of blocking for more control

Blocking sends all emails from someone to spam. If you want more control — for example, to send their emails to a specific folder instead of spam, or to delete them silently without seeing them — use a filter instead.

Go to Settings, then Filters and Blocked Addresses, and click Create a new filter. Type the sender's email address in the From field. Click Create filter. Now you can choose what happens to their emails: skip inbox, explore a label, delete automatically, or mark as read.

Filters are useful when you want to organize mail from a sender rather than block them completely. For example, you might filter promotional emails from a store into a folder instead of blocking the store entirely.

Blocking group emails and mailing lists

If you receive unwanted emails from a group address or mailing list, blocking works the same way — click the three-dot menu and select Block. However, blocking the group address does not remove you from the mailing list itself.

To stop receiving emails from a mailing list, look for an unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email. Most legitimate mailing lists include one. Click it to remove yourself from the list. This is more effective than blocking because it stops the emails at the source rather than just filtering them.

If there is no unsubscribe link and the list is sending you unwanted mail, block the address and report it as spam. Gmail uses these reports to identify and shut down spam operations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone tell if I blocked them in Gmail?

No. When you block someone, they will not receive any notification. If they send you an email, it will appear to send normally from their perspective — they will not see an error message or bounce-back. They straightforward will not know whether you read their email, blocked them, or ignored them.

What if the blocked person uses a different email address to contact me?

Gmail only blocks the specific email address you selected. If the sender creates a new account or uses an alternate email address, those messages will arrive in your inbox normally. You will need to block each address separately if you want to block all of them.

Can I block an entire domain, like all emails from a company?

Gmail's block feature only works on individual email addresses, not entire domains. If you want to block all emails from a company domain, create a filter instead. Go to Settings, create a new filter, and use the From field to enter something like *@companyname.com, then choose to delete or skip inbox.

Do blocked emails get deleted, or can I still see them?

Blocked emails are not deleted — they go to your spam folder. You can still view them if you check spam, but they will not appear in your inbox or send you notifications. If you want to permanently delete them, you can do that manually from the spam folder.

Can I block emails with certain words or subjects instead of blocking a person?

Blocking only works on email addresses. To filter emails by subject line or keywords, use Gmail's filter feature instead. Go to Settings, create a new filter, and use the Subject field or search terms to catch unwanted emails and send them to spam or delete them automatically.