The fastest way to block someone in Yahoo Mail

Open the email from the person you want to block. Click the three dots (more options) in the top right corner of the message. Select Block from the menu. Yahoo will move that sender's future emails to your spam folder automatically.

That is the complete process. Once blocked, you will not see messages from that address in your inbox, and Yahoo will not send you notifications about them. The sender will not know they are blocked — their email will appear to send normally on their end.

If you want to unblock someone later, you can do that from your blocked senders list in settings. The process takes about 30 seconds to reverse.

Key Takeaways

  • Open any email from the sender, click the three-dot menu, and select Block to send their future messages to spam automatically.
  • Blocked senders will not know they are blocked, and their emails will not appear in your inbox or trigger notifications.
  • You can view your full list of blocked senders in Yahoo Mail settings under Privacy and unblock anyone at any time.
  • Blocking only affects new emails from that address — it does not delete messages you have already received.
  • If someone uses a different email address, you will need to block that address separately.

Where to find the block option if you do not see it when ready

The three-dot menu appears in the top right of the email message itself, not in the folder list. Make sure you have opened the full email — clicking on it in your inbox list is not enough. Once the message is open in its own view, the menu button should be visible.

On mobile devices (Yahoo Mail app on iPhone or Android), the three-dot menu is also in the top right corner of the open message. The block option appears in the same place as on desktop.

If you cannot find the menu, try refreshing the page or closing and reopening the email. Yahoo's interface occasionally needs a reload to display all options.

What happens to emails that are already in your inbox

Blocking someone does not delete the emails you have already received from them. Those messages stay in your inbox unless you delete them yourself. Blocking only affects new emails from that sender going forward.

If you want to remove old messages from a blocked sender, you can select them and delete them manually. You can also move them to trash or another folder before blocking, if you want to keep them separate.

How to block someone without opening their email

You can block a sender directly from your inbox list without opening the message. Right-click on the email in your inbox. A menu will appear with the option to block the sender. Click it, and Yahoo will add that address to your blocked list.

This method works the same way as blocking from inside the message — future emails from that address go to spam. It is faster if you have multiple emails from the same person and do not want to open each one.

Viewing and managing your blocked senders list

To see everyone you have blocked, go to Yahoo Mail settings. Click the gear icon in the top right corner of your inbox and select Settings. In the left sidebar, click Privacy. You will see a section called "Blocked addresses" with a list of every sender you have blocked.

From this list, you can unblock anyone by clicking the X next to their name. You can also add email addresses to your blocked list manually by typing them in, even if you have never received an email from them. This is useful if you want to block someone before they contact you.

The difference between blocking and unsubscribing

Blocking and unsubscribing are not the same thing. Unsubscribing removes you from a mailing list — it tells a company to stop sending you newsletters or promotional emails. Blocking stops all emails from a specific address from reaching your inbox.

If you receive marketing emails from a company, look for an "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of the message first. That is usually the right choice. Use blocking for emails from people or addresses you do not want to hear from at all, like spam or unwanted contacts.

Some emails do not have an unsubscribe option. In those cases, blocking is the right move.

What to do if someone uses a different email address to contact you

Blocking works only on the specific email address you block. If someone creates a new email account and contacts you from a different address, that new address will not be blocked. You will need to block each address separately.

If you are being contacted repeatedly from multiple addresses by the same person, you may want to report the emails as spam or harassment to Yahoo. Click the spam icon (exclamation mark in a triangle) on the message, and Yahoo will investigate. Repeated harassment from multiple accounts can sometimes trigger additional protections on your account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the person I block know that I blocked them?

No. Blocked senders will not receive any notification that you blocked them. Their emails will appear to send normally from their perspective — they will not see a bounce-back or error message. They will only notice if they realize you have stopped responding.

Can I block an email address that has not sent me anything yet?

Yes. Go to Settings, click Privacy, and find the "Blocked addresses" section. Type the email address you want to block and add it to your list. Any emails from that address will go to spam automatically, even if you have never received one before.

If I block someone, will they see that I read their old emails?

No. Blocking does not affect read receipts or any information about your past interactions. The sender cannot tell whether you read their previous emails or when you blocked them.

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

Yahoo Mail does not have a built-in feature to block entire domains. You have to block individual email addresses. If you are receiving spam from many addresses at the same domain, you can block each one separately, or report them as spam to help Yahoo identify the source.

What if I accidentally block someone I did not mean to?

Go to Settings, click Privacy, and find the blocked address in your list. Click the X next to their name to unblock them. They will be able to email you again when ready, and you will see their messages in your inbox as normal.