The fastest way to block someone in Yahoo Mail
Open the email from the person you want to block. Click the three dots (more actions menu) in the top right of the message. Select Block from the dropdown. Yahoo will move that sender's future emails to spam automatically, and you won't see notifications when they arrive.
If you've already deleted the email, you can still block the address. Go to your Settings (the gear icon in the top right), select Security and privacy, then Blocked addresses. Type or paste the email address you want to block and click Add.
Once blocked, emails from that address skip your inbox entirely and land in spam. You can unblock someone at any time by returning to the same Blocked addresses list and clicking the X next to their name.
Key Takeaways
- Blocking takes 10 seconds: open the email, click the three-dot menu, and select Block.
- Blocked emails go to spam automatically — you won't see them in your inbox or get notifications.
- You can block addresses you've already deleted by going to Settings > Security and privacy > Blocked addresses.
- Unblocking is just as quick if you change your mind later.
- Yahoo doesn't notify the blocked sender that you've blocked them.
What happens when you block someone
When you block an email address in Yahoo Mail, that sender's messages stop appearing in your inbox. Instead, they go straight to your spam folder. You won't get a notification badge or alert when they send you something — the email just sits in spam unless you go looking for it.
The blocked person doesn't receive any notification that you've blocked them. From their perspective, their emails are being sent normally. They won't know whether you're reading them, ignoring them, or blocking them — Yahoo doesn't send a bounce-back message or delivery failure notice.
If you block someone and then later want to read an old email from them, you can find it in your spam folder. Unblocking them doesn't retrieve old messages; it just stops future ones from going to spam.
Blocking email addresses versus blocking contacts
Yahoo Mail has two separate blocking features, and they work differently. Blocking an email address (what we covered above) sends that sender's messages to spam. Blocking a contact is something you do in Yahoo Contacts, and it prevents that person from seeing your online status or contacting you through Yahoo Messenger if you use it.
For most people, blocking the email address is what you need. It stops unwanted messages from cluttering your inbox. Blocking a contact in the Contacts app is useful if you also use Yahoo's messaging features and want to prevent someone from seeing when you're online, but it doesn't affect email delivery.
When blocking doesn't work the way you expect
If you block someone and emails from them still appear in your inbox, the sender may be using multiple email addresses. Each address needs to be blocked separately. Check the "From" line carefully — sometimes people use variations like firstname.lastname@yahoo.com versus firstnamelastname@yahoo.com, and Yahoo treats these as different senders.
Occasionally, a blocked sender will create a new email account and contact you from that. Blocking only affects the specific address you blocked, not the person behind it. If someone is harassing you across multiple accounts, consider reporting the behavior to Yahoo's abuse team instead of blocking individual addresses.
If you're receiving spam that claims to be from Yahoo itself (password reset requests, account alerts, etc.), don't block it — report it as phishing. Legitimate Yahoo messages come from addresses ending in @yahoo.com or @yahooinc.com. Blocking a spoofed address won't stop the spam, but reporting it helps Yahoo shut down the source.
Reporting instead of just blocking
Blocking sends emails to spam, but it doesn't tell Yahoo about the problem. If you're receiving spam, scams, or harassment, reporting the message is more effective than blocking alone. Open the email, click the three-dot menu, and select Report spam or Report phishing depending on what it is.
When you report spam, Yahoo's systems learn to catch similar messages for all users, not just you. This is especially important if the email looks like a phishing attempt (fake login pages, requests for passwords or financial information, urgent threats about your account). Reporting these helps protect other Yahoo Mail users.
You can also report a sender to Yahoo's abuse team directly if they're harassing you or sending threatening content. Go to the Security and privacy settings, find the Blocked addresses section, and look for the option to report abuse. This creates a record with Yahoo that can help if the harassment continues.
Managing your blocked list over time
Your blocked addresses list can grow quickly if you block a lot of senders. Yahoo doesn't limit how many addresses you can block, but it's worth reviewing the list occasionally to see if anyone should be unblocked. Go to Settings > Security and privacy > Blocked addresses to see everyone you've blocked.
If you've blocked someone by mistake, or if a business email address changes and you want to hear from them again, unblocking takes seconds. Click the X next to their address and confirm. Their future emails will go to your inbox normally again, and you'll start getting notifications when they send you something.
If you're switching email providers or closing your Yahoo Mail account, your blocked list stays with Yahoo — it doesn't transfer to Gmail, Outlook, or anywhere else. You'll need to set up blocking rules in your new email service separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I block an email address without opening the message?
Yes. Go to Settings > Security and privacy > Blocked addresses, type the email address, and click Add. You don't need to receive a message from someone to block them — you can block an address preemptively if you know you don't want to hear from them.
Will the person I blocked know I blocked them?
No. Yahoo doesn't send a notification to blocked senders. They won't receive a bounce-back message or any indication that their email didn't reach you. From their perspective, their message was sent successfully.
What's the difference between blocking and unsubscribing?
Unsubscribing removes you from a mailing list (usually marketing emails), and the sender's future messages may still reach your inbox if they send something outside the list. Blocking sends all future messages from that address to spam, regardless of whether they're part of a list. Use unsubscribe for newsletters you signed up for; use block for unwanted senders.
Can I block an entire domain instead of just one email address?
Yahoo Mail doesn't have a built-in feature to block all addresses from a domain at once. You have to block individual email addresses. If you're getting spam from many addresses at the same domain, report the messages as spam so Yahoo's filters learn to catch them automatically.
If I unblock someone, will I see their old blocked emails?
No. Unblocking stops future emails from going to spam, but it doesn't move old blocked messages back to your inbox. Old emails from that sender stay in your spam folder. You can find and read them there if you want, but they won't reappear in your inbox automatically.