The fastest way to block someone in Yahoo Mail

Open the email from the person you want to block. Look for the three dots (⋯) in the top right corner of the message and click it. A menu will appear with the option "Block sender" — click that, and Yahoo will move all future emails from that address to your spam folder automatically.

That is the complete process. Once you block an address, you will not see messages from it in your inbox, and Yahoo will not notify you when blocked emails arrive. If you change your mind later, you can unblock the address from your blocked senders list.

Key Takeaways

  • The block button is the three-dot menu (⋯) at the top right of any email message.
  • Blocked emails go to your spam folder, not deleted, so you can review them if needed.
  • You can view and manage your full blocked senders list in Yahoo Mail settings under "Security and privacy".
  • Blocking someone in Yahoo Mail does not prevent them from sending you messages — it only hides them from your inbox.
  • If someone uses a different email address, you will need to block that address separately.

Where to find your blocked senders list

To see everyone you have blocked and to unblock someone, go to your Yahoo Mail settings. Click the gear icon in the top right corner of your inbox, then select "Settings".

In the Settings page, click "Security and privacy" on the left side. Scroll down until you see "Blocked addresses" — this shows every email address you have blocked. You can add new addresses here by typing them in, or remove someone from the list by clicking the X next to their address.

What happens when you block an address

When you block an email address, Yahoo Mail automatically sends all messages from that sender to your spam folder. The sender does not receive any notification that they have been blocked — their email goes through normally on their end, but you will not see it in your inbox.

This is different from unsubscribing from a mailing list. Blocking works on any email address, whether it is a person, a business, or an automated sender. The blocked address will stay blocked until you manually remove it from your blocked list.

Blocking emails on mobile (iPhone or Android)

On the Yahoo Mail app for iPhone or Android, open the email you want to block. Tap the three dots (⋯) at the bottom right of the message. Select "Block sender" from the menu that appears.

The process is the same as on a computer — the email goes to spam, and future messages from that address will be hidden from your inbox. You can manage your blocked list the same way on mobile: go to Settings, then "Security and privacy", then "Blocked addresses".

When blocking does not work the way you expect

If you keep receiving emails from someone you blocked, they may be using a different email address each time. Spammers and scammers often do this to get around blocks. In that case, you will need to block each new address as it appears, or consider reporting the messages as spam instead.

If the emails are coming from what looks like the same address but you are still seeing them, check your spam folder first — sometimes a block takes a few minutes to take effect. If messages are still arriving in your inbox after an hour, log out of Yahoo Mail completely and log back in, which refreshes your settings. You may also want to clear your browser cache if you are using Yahoo Mail on the web, as cached data can sometimes interfere with updated settings.

The difference between blocking and reporting spam

Blocking an address hides future emails from that sender in your inbox. Reporting an email as spam does something different: it tells Yahoo that the message is unwanted and helps Yahoo's filters learn to catch similar messages for all users.

You can do both at once. When you see a suspicious email, you can click the three dots, select "Report spam", and then block the sender. Reporting helps Yahoo improve its spam detection, while blocking ensures you do not see that specific address again. Over time, if many users report emails from the same sender, Yahoo may automatically filter those messages for everyone.

Using filters for more control over unwanted mail

If you want more control than blocking alone offers, Yahoo Mail also has a filter feature. Filters let you automatically send emails matching certain rules to spam or another folder. You can create a filter based on sender address, subject line, or keywords in the message body.

To set up a filter, go to Settings, then click "Filters" on the left side. Click "Add new filter" and enter the criteria — for example, all emails from a particular domain or containing certain words. Then choose what Yahoo should do with matching emails: send them to spam, delete them, or move them to a specific folder. Filters are useful when you want to organize mail rather than block it completely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I block an email address without opening the message?

No — you need to open the email first to see the three-dot menu and block button. However, once you block an address, all future emails from that sender will go to spam automatically, so you will not have to open them.

What if I block someone by mistake?

Go to Settings, then "Security and privacy", then "Blocked addresses". Find the address you want to unblock and click the X next to it. That person's emails will start appearing in your inbox again.

Does blocking someone on Yahoo Mail affect other email services?

No. Blocking only works in Yahoo Mail. If you use Gmail, Outlook, or another email service, you will need to block the address separately in each one.

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

Yahoo Mail does not have a built-in feature to block all addresses from a domain at once. You can only block individual email addresses. If you are receiving many emails from the same domain, use a filter instead — it can catch all emails from that domain and send them to spam automatically.

Will the person I blocked know that I blocked them?

No. The sender will not receive any notification. Their emails will appear to send normally on their end, but they will land in your spam folder instead of your inbox. They will not know unless you tell them.