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 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 stop appearing in your inbox, and you will not get notifications when they send you messages. If you change your mind later, you can unblock them the same way — open a blocked email, click the menu icon, and select Unblock.

Blocking works on both the Gmail website and the Gmail mobile app. The steps are identical on both.

Key Takeaways

  • Click the three-dot menu icon on any email from the sender, then select Block to send their future messages to spam.
  • Blocked emails go to your spam folder automatically, and you will not receive notifications about them.
  • You can unblock a sender at any time by opening one of their emails and selecting Unblock from the same menu.
  • Blocking only affects emails from that exact address — if someone uses a different email address, those messages will still reach your inbox.
  • Blocking does not delete emails already in your inbox; it only stops new ones from arriving.

Where blocked emails go

When you block someone, Gmail sends all their future emails to your spam folder. You can still see them if you open the spam folder and look for their name, but they will not clutter your inbox or trigger notifications on your phone or computer.

Emails from that sender that arrived before you blocked them stay in your inbox. Blocking only affects messages sent after you click the Block button. If you want to clean up old emails from that person, you can search for their address in Gmail and delete them manually.

Blocking someone you have already deleted emails from

If you have already deleted all emails from someone and want to block them anyway, search for their email address in the Gmail search bar at the top of the page. Type their full address (for example, spammer@example.com) and press Enter. Even if no results appear, you can still open the search result page and look for a Block option, or wait for their next email and block it then.

The most reliable method is to wait for them to email you again. Once a new message arrives, use the three-dot menu to block them. This ensures Gmail has a record of the sender to block.

What blocking does not do

Blocking someone in Gmail does not prevent them from sending you emails — it only hides their messages from you. The sender will not receive a notification that you blocked them, and their emails will still be delivered to Gmail's servers. They will straightforward land in spam instead of your inbox.

If someone is harassing you and you need them to know to stop contacting you, blocking alone is not enough. You may need to report the email as spam or abuse, or in serious cases, contact law enforcement. Gmail's block feature is designed to keep unwanted mail out of your sight, not to communicate with the sender.

Blocking multiple addresses from the same person

Some people use more than one email address. If someone keeps contacting you from different addresses, you will need to block each one separately. There is no way to block all variations of a name or domain at once in Gmail.

Block each new address as it arrives using the same three-dot menu method. If you notice a pattern — for example, someone using addresses like name1@example.com, name2@example.com, and so on — you can create a filter instead. Go to Settings (the gear icon), select Filters and Blocked Addresses, and create a filter that catches emails from that entire domain. This is more advanced but catches all variations at once.

Unblocking someone later

To unblock a sender, you need to find one of their emails. Open your spam folder, search for their address, or wait for a new email to arrive. Once you have an email from them open, click the three-dot menu and select Unblock. Their future emails will go back to your inbox normally.

If you cannot find any email from the person you want to unblock, go to Gmail Settings (the gear icon in the top right), click Filters and Blocked Addresses, and look for their address in the blocked list. You can unblock them directly from that page without needing to open an email first.

Using filters instead of blocking

Blocking is the simplest option for most people, but Gmail also offers filters for more control. A filter can automatically delete emails, send them to a label, or mark them as read without moving them to spam. To create a filter, go to Settings, select Filters and Blocked Addresses, and click Create a new filter.

Filters are useful if you want to keep emails from someone but organize them separately, or if you want to block an entire domain instead of one address. For most situations, though, the Block button is faster and does the job.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the person I blocked know that I blocked them?

No. Gmail does not notify senders when you block them. Their emails will still be sent to Gmail's servers and land in spam, but they will have no way to know you blocked them unless you tell them.

Can I block emails by subject line or content instead of sender?

The Block button only works on sender addresses. To block emails based on content, use a filter instead. Go to Settings, click Filters and Blocked Addresses, and create a filter with keywords or phrases. You can then send those emails to spam automatically.

What happens to emails I already received from someone before I blocked them?

Blocking only affects new emails. Messages already in your inbox stay there. If you want to remove old emails from that sender, search for their address and delete them manually, or create a filter to organize them into a separate folder.

Can I block an entire company or domain?

The Block button works only on individual email addresses. To block all emails from a domain like @company.com, create a filter instead. Go to Settings, select Filters and Blocked Addresses, and set up a filter that catches all addresses from that domain.

If I unblock someone, will old emails from them reappear in my inbox?

No. Unblocking only stops new emails from going to spam. Emails that were already in spam stay there. If you want to see them again, you will need to open your spam folder and move them back to your inbox manually.