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) at the top right of the message. Select Block from the menu. Yahoo will move that sender's future emails to spam automatically, and you won't see notifications from them.

If you've already deleted the email, you can still block the address. Go to your Spam folder, find an email from that sender, open it, click the three dots, and select Block. The sender will be added to your blocked list even if you don't have a recent message from them.

Once you block someone, Yahoo keeps them on your blocked list. You can view, edit, or remove blocked addresses anytime by going to Settings > Security and Privacy > Blocked addresses.

Key Takeaways

  • Blocking an email address takes three clicks: open the message, click the three dots, and select Block.
  • Blocked senders' emails go straight to your spam folder, and you won't receive notifications from them.
  • You can block someone even if you've deleted their email by finding them in your Spam folder first.
  • Your blocked list lives in Settings > Security and Privacy > Blocked addresses, where you can add, remove, or review addresses anytime.
  • Blocking only affects your account — the sender can still email you, but you won't see it.

What happens when you block an email address

When you block a sender, Yahoo routes all their future emails to your spam folder. You won't see them in your inbox, and you won't get notifications when they send you something. The sender doesn't receive a notification that you've blocked them — from their perspective, the email straightforward goes through as normal.

Emails from blocked senders that arrive after you block them stay in spam for 30 days before Yahoo deletes them automatically. If you change your mind and want to read something from a blocked sender, you can find it in spam and unblock them from there.

How to manage your blocked list

To see everyone you've blocked, go to the gear icon (Settings) in the top right corner of Yahoo Mail. Click Settings, then select Security and Privacy from the left menu. Look for Blocked addresses — this shows every sender you've blocked.

From this list, you can add new addresses without having an email from them. Type the email address or domain in the box and click Add. You can also remove someone from your blocked list by clicking the X next to their name. Removing them means their emails will go back to your inbox normally.

If you want to block an entire domain (for example, all emails from anyone at a company), you can add the domain instead of a single address. Type @companyname.com and Yahoo will block every sender from that domain.

Blocking vs. unsubscribing — which one to use

Blocking and unsubscribing do different things. Unsubscribe is for mailing lists, newsletters, and marketing emails — it removes you from the sender's list so they stop sending you messages. Most legitimate companies include an unsubscribe link at the bottom of their emails.

Use Block when someone is sending you unwanted personal emails, spam, or messages from an account you don't want to hear from. Blocking stops the emails from reaching you, but the sender can keep trying. Unsubscribing stops them from sending in the first place (assuming they honor the request).

If an email has an unsubscribe link, try that first. If the sender ignores it or keeps emailing you from different addresses, then block them.

Blocking emails on mobile Yahoo Mail

On the Yahoo Mail app for iPhone or Android, open the email you want to block. Tap the three dots at the top right of the message. Select Block sender from the menu. The process is the same as on a computer — the sender goes to spam when ready.

To manage your blocked list on mobile, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the bottom right. Go to Settings, then Security and Privacy, then Blocked addresses. You can add or remove addresses the same way you do on a computer.

What to do if blocking isn't stopping the emails

If you've blocked someone and emails from them still appear in your inbox, the sender may be using different email addresses. Check whether the new emails are coming from a slightly different address — for example, john.smith@email.com versus johnsmith@email.com. Yahoo treats these as separate addresses, so you'll need to block each one.

If the emails look like they're from the same person but the address keeps changing, block the domain instead of the individual address. Go to your blocked list and add @email.com to block everyone from that email provider. This is a broader approach and may catch unwanted mail from other senders too, so use it only when necessary.

For persistent harassment or spam that continues even after blocking, report the emails to Yahoo. Open the message, click the three dots, and select Report phishing or Report spam. Yahoo uses these reports to improve its spam filters and may take action against repeat offenders.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I block someone without opening their email?

No — you need to open the email first to access the block option. However, if you've deleted the message, you can find it in your Spam or Trash folder, open it, and block from there. Alternatively, you can go directly to your blocked list in Settings and type in the address you want to block without having received an email from them.

Will the person I blocked know I blocked them?

No. The sender won't receive any notification. Their emails will still appear to send normally from their perspective — they just won't reach your inbox. They may eventually notice you're not responding, but Yahoo doesn't tell them they've been blocked.

Can I block emails by subject line or keyword?

Yahoo Mail doesn't have a built-in filter for blocking by subject line or keyword. Your best option is to create a filter rule that automatically sends emails with certain words to spam. Go to Settings > Mail > Filters and Rules, then create a new rule that moves matching emails to spam. This is less strict than blocking but catches unwanted messages automatically.

What if I accidentally blocked someone I want to hear from?

Go to Settings > Security and Privacy > Blocked addresses and find the person's name or email. Click the X next to it to remove them from your blocked list. Their future emails will go back to your inbox normally. Emails they sent while they were blocked will still be in your spam folder — you can move them back to your inbox if you want to read them.