The fastest way to block an email

Open the email from the sender you want to block. Look for the three dots (⋯) in the top right corner of the message and click it. A menu will appear — select Block. Yahoo Mail will move that sender's future emails to spam automatically, and you will not see notifications from them.

That is the complete process. Once blocked, emails from that address go straight to your spam folder. You can unblock the sender later if you change your mind by going to Settings and finding the blocked senders list.

If you cannot find the three-dot menu, your browser window may be too narrow. Make your browser window wider or use a different device, and the menu will appear.

Key Takeaways

  • Click the three dots in the top right of any email, then select Block to send that sender's future messages to spam.
  • Blocked senders cannot see that you blocked them, and you will receive no notifications from their address.
  • You can view your complete list of blocked senders in Settings under Privacy, and unblock anyone at any time.
  • Blocking works only on the email address itself — if someone sends from a different address, those emails will not be blocked automatically.

Where to find blocked senders if you need to unblock someone

Go to the Settings icon (the gear symbol) in the top right of your Yahoo Mail inbox. Click it and select Settings from the dropdown menu.

In the Settings page, look for the left sidebar menu. Click Privacy. You will see a section called Blocked addresses with a list of every sender you have blocked. Next to each address is an Unblock button. Click it to remove that sender from your blocked list.

Once unblocked, emails from that sender will arrive in your inbox normally again, and you will see notifications as usual.

Blocking email on mobile (iPhone or Android)

Open the Yahoo Mail app on your phone. Find the email from the sender you want to block and swipe left on it (iPhone) or press and hold it (Android). A menu will appear with options including Block. Tap Block to add that sender to your blocked list.

On Android, if you do not see the Block option after pressing and holding, look for a trash or delete icon first, then tap the three dots (⋯) for more options. Block should appear there.

To view or change your blocked senders on mobile, open the app menu (three horizontal lines in the top left), scroll down to Settings, tap Privacy, and select Blocked addresses.

What happens after you block someone

All emails from the blocked sender go to your spam folder. You will not see them in your inbox, and you will not receive notifications when they send you a message. The sender does not receive any notification that you blocked them — the email straightforward fails to reach you as usual.

If the sender emails you from a different address, that new email will not be blocked. Blocking only affects the specific email address you selected. If someone is harassing you from multiple addresses, you will need to block each one separately.

Blocking email addresses that look similar to real ones

Scammers sometimes create addresses that look almost identical to legitimate companies — for example, "paypa1.com" instead of "paypal.com" (using the number 1 instead of the letter l). If you receive a suspicious email claiming to be from a company you know, block it when ready.

Do not click links or read attachments from emails you do not recognize, even if they appear to come from a trusted sender. If you are unsure whether an email is real, go directly to the company's website by typing the address into your browser yourself, rather than clicking a link in the email.

Blocking does not delete past emails

When you block a sender, Yahoo Mail does not delete emails you already received from them. Those old messages stay in your inbox unless you delete them yourself. Blocking only stops future emails from that sender.

If you want to remove old emails from a blocked sender, go to your inbox, search for their email address using the search bar, select all the results, and delete them. This is a separate step from blocking.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Yahoo Mail blocks individual email addresses only, not entire domains. If you are receiving unwanted emails from multiple addresses at the same company (like spam@company.com and noreply@company.com), you will need to block each address separately. There is no built-in way to block all mail from a domain at once.

What if I blocked someone by mistake?

Go to Settings, select Privacy, find Blocked addresses, and click Unblock next to the sender's name. They will be unblocked when ready, and their future emails will arrive in your inbox normally. You can unblock and re-block senders as many times as you need.

Will the person I blocked know I blocked them?

No. The sender receives no notification that you blocked them. From their perspective, their email straightforward did not reach you — they have no way to know whether you blocked them, deleted the email, or never saw it.

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

Yahoo Mail does not have a built-in filter for blocking by subject line or content. Your only option is to block by sender email address. If you want to organize emails by topic, you can create folders and set up rules to sort incoming mail automatically, but this does not prevent you from seeing the emails.

Do blocked emails go to spam or are they deleted?

Blocked emails go to your spam folder, not deleted. You can still view them there if you need to, and they stay in spam for 30 days before Yahoo Mail removes them automatically. If you want to delete them when ready, you can empty your spam folder manually.