The fastest way to block an email address

Open the email from the person you want to block. Click the three dots (more actions menu) in the top right of the email. Select Block from the dropdown menu. Gmail will move that sender's future emails to spam automatically and delete any emails from them already in your inbox.

The entire process takes about five seconds. Once blocked, you will not see their messages, and they will not know they are blocked — Gmail does not notify senders.

If you have already deleted the email, you can still block the sender by going to Settings, clicking the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab, and entering their email address manually. Click Create Filter, then check the box for "Delete it" and confirm.

Key Takeaways

  • Blocking an email address in Gmail takes one click from any email they sent you, and future messages go straight to spam.
  • Blocked senders do not receive a notification that you blocked them.
  • You can unblock someone at any time by going to Settings, Filters and Blocked Addresses, and clicking Unblock next to their name.
  • Blocking only affects new emails — it does not delete messages already in your inbox, though the three-dot menu option does.
  • If someone is harassing you from multiple addresses, you may need to block each one separately, or use a filter to catch variations of their name.

What happens when you block someone

When you block an email address, Gmail automatically sends all future emails from that sender to your spam folder. You will not see a notification when they email you, and the message will not appear in your inbox or any other folder except spam.

The person who is blocked cannot tell that you blocked them. They will not receive a bounce-back message or any other signal. From their perspective, their email was sent normally — they have no way to know whether you read it, blocked it, or never received it.

If you change your mind, unblocking is just as straightforward. Go to Settings, click Filters and Blocked Addresses, find the person's name in the blocked list, and click Unblock. Their emails will stop going to spam and will arrive in your inbox like any other message.

Blocking someone who is using multiple email addresses

If the same person is contacting you from several different email addresses, you will need to block each address separately using the three-dot menu method. There is no single block that catches all variations of one person's identity.

However, if the addresses follow a pattern — for example, firstname.lastname@domain.com and firstname.l.lastname@domain.com — you can create a filter that catches them all at once. Go to Settings, Filters and Blocked Addresses, and click Create a new filter. In the "From" field, enter a partial address using an asterisk as a wildcard, like *lastname@domain.com. Click Create Filter and select "Delete it" to send all matching addresses to spam.

This approach works best when you recognize a pattern in the addresses. If the person is using completely random addresses or different email providers, blocking each one as it arrives is your only option.

Using filters for more control than blocking

Blocking sends emails to spam, but filters give you more options. You can send someone's emails to a specific folder, mark them as read automatically, or star them so you see them but they do not clutter your inbox.

To create a filter, go to Settings, Filters and Blocked Addresses, and click Create a new filter. Enter the sender's email address in the "From" field. Click Create Filter and choose what you want to happen: delete, skip inbox, star, or explore a label. If you want to see the emails but keep them separate, choose "explore the label" and create a folder like "Do Not Read" or "Archived".

Filters are useful when you want to stay aware that someone is emailing you without letting their messages interrupt your work. Blocking is simpler if you just want them gone.

Blocking someone who is spoofing your own email address

Occasionally you will receive an email that appears to come from your own Gmail address or from someone you know. This is called spoofing — the sender is forging the "From" line to make it look like it came from someone else.

You cannot block your own email address in Gmail, but you can report the email as phishing or spam. Open the email, click the three dots, and select Report phishing or Report spam. Gmail will investigate and may take action against the sender's account.

If you are receiving many spoofed emails, enable 2-Step Verification on your account to make sure no one else has access to it. Go to myaccount.google.com, click Security on the left, and follow the steps to set up 2-Step Verification. This prevents someone from using your account to send emails impersonating you.

Blocking emails from mailing lists and newsletters

If you are receiving unwanted emails from a mailing list or newsletter, blocking the sender's address will work, but unsubscribing is usually better. Most legitimate newsletters include an Unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email — click it and you will be removed from the list.

Unsubscribing is preferable to blocking because it tells the sender to remove you from their system, whereas blocking just hides their emails from you. If you block without unsubscribing, they may keep sending emails and your spam folder will keep filling up.

If there is no unsubscribe link, or if unsubscribing does not work, then blocking is your next step. Open the email, click the three dots, and select Block.

Recovering blocked emails if you need them later

When you block someone using the three-dot menu, Gmail deletes their existing emails from your inbox. If you realize later that you need one of those messages, you can check your spam folder — blocked emails go there, not to trash.

Go to your Spam folder and search for the sender's name or email address. If you find the message you need, click it and then click the Not Spam button at the top. The email will move back to your inbox. You can then unblock the sender if you want to receive their future emails.

If you blocked someone using a filter instead of the three-dot menu, their emails are in spam but not deleted. You can recover them the same way: check spam, find the message, and click Not Spam.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I block someone without opening their email?

No, you need to open the email first to see the three-dot menu and block option. If you have not received an email from them yet, you can create a filter in Settings instead. Go to Filters and Blocked Addresses, click Create a new filter, enter their email address, and select Delete it.

Will the person know I blocked them?

No. Gmail does not send a notification to blocked senders. They will not receive a bounce-back message or any other signal that you blocked them. Their emails straightforward disappear into your spam folder without any feedback to them.

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

Yes, using a filter. Go to Settings, Filters and Blocked Addresses, and click Create a new filter. In the "From" field, enter *@domain.com (replace domain.com with the actual domain). Click Create Filter and select Delete it. All emails from that domain will go to spam.

What if I blocked someone by mistake?

Go to Settings, click Filters and Blocked Addresses, find their name in the blocked list, and click Unblock. Their future emails will stop going to spam and will arrive normally in your inbox. Any emails that were already deleted will not come back.

Does blocking on Gmail block them on other Google services?

No. Blocking someone in Gmail only affects email. If you want to block them on YouTube, Google Meet, or other Google services, you need to block them separately in each service.