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 blocked, you will not see emails from that address in your inbox, and Gmail will not notify you when they send something. The blocked sender does not receive any notification that you blocked them.

If you have already deleted the email, you can still block the sender by going to your Spam folder, finding an email from them, opening it, and following the same three-dot menu steps.

Key Takeaways

  • Click the three-dot menu icon inside any email from the sender, then select Block to send all their future messages to spam automatically.
  • Blocked emails go to your spam folder, not your inbox, and you receive no notification when they arrive.
  • You can unblock someone at any time by going to Settings, clicking Filters and Blocked Addresses, finding their name, and clicking Unblock.
  • Blocking works only on the email address itself — if someone creates a new email account, their messages from that new address will not be blocked.
  • Gmail does not notify blocked senders that you blocked them, and they cannot tell from a bounce-back message.

Where to find the block option if you cannot see the menu

On a phone or tablet, the three-dot menu may be in a different location depending on your device. On iPhone, swipe left on the email in your inbox list, then tap the trash icon and confirm. On Android, long-press the email in your inbox, then tap the three-dot menu at the top of the screen and select Block.

If you are using Gmail on a computer and the three-dot menu does not appear, make sure you have opened the full email (not just the preview pane). The menu only shows when you click into the complete message.

How to unblock an email address you blocked by mistake

Go to Gmail Settings by clicking the gear icon in the top right corner of your inbox, then select See all settings. Click the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab. Scroll down to the section labeled "Blocked addresses" and 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 emails will when ready start appearing in your inbox again (though Gmail will not move old blocked emails back from spam). You can block them again at any time using the same three-dot menu method.

What happens to emails after you block someone

All emails from a blocked sender go directly to your Spam folder. Gmail does not delete them — they stay in Spam for 30 days, then Gmail removes them automatically. If you need to read a blocked email before it disappears, you can go to your Spam folder and open it there without unblocking the sender.

Blocking does not delete emails that arrived before you blocked the person. Those remain in your inbox or wherever they were. Only new emails from that sender go to spam.

Blocking does not work across Gmail accounts or devices

If you use Gmail on multiple devices — your phone, tablet, and computer — blocking someone on one device blocks them on all of them, because your Gmail account is the same everywhere. However, if you have multiple Gmail accounts (a work account and a personal account, for example), you must block the sender separately in each account.

Blocking is also specific to the exact email address. If someone creates a new email account and sends you a message from that new address, it will not be blocked. You would need to block the new address separately.

When blocking is not enough

If someone is sending you many emails from different addresses, blocking each one individually becomes tedious. In that case, you can create a filter that catches emails based on content rather than sender address. Go to Settings, click Filters and Blocked Addresses, then Create a new filter. Enter a word or phrase that appears in their emails (like a company name or a phrase they always use), then select the option to skip the inbox and send to spam.

For serious harassment or threats, blocking and filtering are not enough. You can report the email to Gmail by clicking the three-dot menu and selecting Report phishing or Report spam. If the harassment continues or escalates, consider reporting it to local law enforcement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the person I blocked tell that I blocked them?

No. Gmail does not send a notification to blocked senders, and they do not receive a bounce-back message saying the email failed. From their perspective, the email straightforward went through. They would only know you blocked them if you told them directly.

What if I block someone but they keep emailing me from new addresses?

Blocking works only on individual email addresses. If someone repeatedly creates new accounts to contact you, blocking each one is the only option within Gmail itself. For persistent harassment, report the emails to Gmail as spam or phishing, and consider reporting the behavior to law enforcement if it involves threats.

Do I need to block someone before they send me an email, or can I block them after?

You can only block someone after they have sent you at least one email. Gmail needs an email from them in your account to create the block. If you want to prevent someone from emailing you before they do, you would need to create a filter instead, but that requires knowing something specific about their email address or the content they might send.

If I unblock someone, will their old emails come back to my inbox?

No. Unblocking only stops Gmail from sending their future emails to spam. Emails that were already moved to spam stay in the Spam folder. They do not automatically return to your inbox. You can manually move them back if you want to read them.

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

Gmail's block feature works only on individual email addresses, not entire domains. To block all emails from a company domain, create a filter by going to Settings, clicking Filters and Blocked Addresses, then Create a new filter. In the "From" field, enter the domain name (for example, @companyname.com), then select the option to skip the inbox and send to spam.