Block a sender in Gmail's main inbox

Open the email from the sender you want to block. Look for the three vertical dots (more options menu) in the top right corner of the email and click it. A dropdown menu will appear with several choices — select "Block [sender's name]" from that list.

Gmail will move that sender's future emails straight to spam automatically. You will not see notifications for their messages, and they will not appear in your inbox. If you change your mind later, you can unblock them by going to Settings, finding the Blocked addresses tab, and removing the sender from that list.

This method works for individual email addresses. If the sender uses multiple addresses or keeps creating new ones to contact you, you may need to block each address separately as they arrive.

Key Takeaways

  • Blocking a sender in Gmail sends all their future emails to your spam folder automatically, and you will receive no notifications from them.
  • You can block a sender by opening their email, clicking the three-dot menu, and selecting "Block [sender's name]".
  • Blocked addresses are stored in your Gmail Settings under the Blocked addresses tab, where you can view or remove them at any time.
  • Blocking only works on the specific email address you block — if a sender uses a different address, you will need to block that one separately.
  • Emails already in your inbox from a blocked sender stay there unless you manually delete them; blocking only stops future messages.

Find and manage your blocked senders list

To see everyone you have blocked, open Gmail and click the gear icon in the top right corner. Select "See all settings" from the dropdown menu. Click the "Filters and Blocked Addresses" tab near the top of the page.

Scroll down to the "Blocked addresses" section. This shows every email address you have blocked in this Gmail account. If you want to unblock someone, click the X button next to their address. They will when ready start appearing in your inbox again, and their old emails will move out of spam.

Keep in mind that unblocking a sender does not restore their old emails to your inbox — those remain in spam unless you move them manually. Only future emails from that address will return to your normal inbox flow.

Block senders from spam or other folders

You do not have to open an email to block someone. If you see a message in your spam folder or any other folder, hover over it with your mouse. A checkbox and several icons will appear on the right side of that email row. Click the three-dot menu icon and select "Block [sender's name]".

This works the same way as blocking from your inbox — the sender goes on your blocked list and all their future messages land in spam. It is useful when you want to block someone without reading their full email first.

Block senders on mobile Gmail

Open the Gmail app on your phone or tablet. Find the email from the sender you want to block and tap it to open it. Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner of the email.

Select "Block sender" from the menu that appears. The sender is now blocked, and their future emails will go to spam. To view your blocked list on mobile, open Settings in the Gmail app, scroll down to your account name, tap "Manage your Google Account", go to the Security tab, and look for "Your devices" — though the easiest way to manage blocks is still through the Gmail website on a computer.

What happens after you block someone

Once you block a sender, Gmail automatically sends their emails to spam. You will not get notifications about their messages, and they will not appear in your inbox count. The sender does not receive any notification that you blocked them — from their perspective, they straightforward will not know whether you are reading their emails.

If the blocked sender tries to reach you through a different email address, those messages will come through normally because Gmail only blocks the specific address you selected. Some senders create multiple accounts specifically to get around blocks, so you may need to block each new address as it appears.

Emails that arrived before you blocked someone stay in your inbox unless you delete them. Blocking only affects future messages. If you want to clean up old emails from that sender, you can search for their address, select all their messages, and delete them manually.

Unblock a sender if you blocked them by mistake

Go to Gmail Settings by clicking the gear icon and selecting "See all settings". Click the "Filters and Blocked Addresses" tab. Find the sender's address in the "Blocked addresses" section and click the X button next to it.

The sender is now unblocked. Their future emails will arrive in your inbox normally. If they sent you emails while they were blocked, those messages are still in your spam folder — Gmail does not automatically move them back. You can search for their address in spam and move specific emails back to your inbox if you want to read them.

Block email addresses that look like spam but are not on your list yet

Sometimes you receive emails from addresses you have never seen before and want to block them before they send more. Open the email and use the three-dot menu to block the sender, just as you would with any other address. You do not need to wait for a second email to confirm it is spam.

If you receive many emails from similar-looking addresses (like variations of the same name), blocking each one individually can become tedious. In that case, consider creating a filter instead of blocking. Filters can catch emails based on keywords or patterns, not just exact addresses. You can set up a filter to send certain emails to spam automatically — go to Settings, click "Filters and Blocked Addresses", and select "Create a new filter" to set rules based on sender name, subject line, or message content.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a blocked sender tell that I blocked them?

No. When you block someone in Gmail, they receive no notification. Their emails straightforward go to your spam folder, and they have no way to know whether you are reading their messages or if they are being blocked. They may suspect it if their emails go unanswered, but Gmail does not alert them.

What if I block someone and then they email me from a different address?

Blocking only affects the specific email address you blocked. If the same person sends you a message from a different email account, that message will arrive in your inbox normally. You will need to block each address separately. If this becomes a pattern, consider creating a filter based on the sender's name or message content instead.

Do blocked emails disappear from my inbox?

No. Blocking only stops future emails from that sender. Any emails already in your inbox from that person stay there unless you delete them manually. Only new messages from the blocked address go straight to spam. If you want to remove old emails from a blocked sender, search for their address and delete those messages yourself.

Can I block an entire domain instead of just one email address?

Gmail's block feature only works on individual email addresses, not entire domains. If you need to block all emails from a company domain (like @example.com), you will need to create a filter instead. Go to Settings, click "Filters and Blocked Addresses", select "Create a new filter", and use the "From" field to enter the domain pattern.

How do I know if someone is blocked in my Gmail?

The easiest way is to check your blocked addresses list. Go to Settings, click "Filters and Blocked Addresses", and scroll to the "Blocked addresses" section. This shows every address you have blocked. There is no other way to see a list of blocked senders — Gmail does not show this information anywhere else in the interface.