Block a sender in Yahoo Mail in three steps
To block an email address in Yahoo Mail, open the message from the sender you want to block, click the three-dot menu icon in the top right of the email, and select Block. Yahoo Mail will then send all future messages from that address to your Spam folder automatically. You do not need to do anything else — the block takes effect when ready.
If you have already deleted the email, you can still block the sender. Go to your Spam folder, find a message from that address, open it, click the three-dot menu, and select Block. The process is identical whether the message is in your inbox or trash.
Blocked senders cannot tell they have been blocked, and you will not receive notifications when they try to email you. Their messages straightforward go to Spam without reaching your inbox.
Key Takeaways
- Open any email from the sender, click the three-dot menu, and select Block to send all their future messages to Spam.
- Blocked messages land in your Spam folder, not your inbox, so you can review them later if needed.
- You can unblock a sender at any time by going to Settings and removing them from your blocked list.
- Blocking works only for individual email addresses — if someone uses a different address, you will need to block that one separately.
- Yahoo Mail does not notify blocked senders, and they cannot see that you have blocked them.
Where to find the block option if you use Yahoo Mail on the web
The block button appears in the toolbar at the top of any open email. Look for the three vertical dots (sometimes called a menu icon) on the right side of the toolbar, next to the trash and archive buttons. Click it and you will see a dropdown menu with several options, including Block.
If you do not see the three-dot menu, make sure you have opened the full email by clicking on it — the menu does not appear in the message list view. Once the email is open in its own window or pane, the menu will be visible.
How to block a sender using the Yahoo Mail mobile app
On the Yahoo Mail app for iPhone or Android, open the email from the sender you want to block. Tap the three-dot menu icon at the top right of the screen. Scroll down in the menu that appears and tap Block sender. The app will confirm the block, and that sender's future emails will go to Spam.
The mobile app works the same way as the web version — the block takes effect right away, and you can unblock the sender later if you change your mind.
Check your blocked senders list and unblock someone
To see who you have blocked or to unblock a sender, go to Yahoo Mail Settings. Click the gear icon in the top right corner of the page and select Settings. In the left sidebar, click Security and privacy, then scroll down to find Blocked addresses.
Your blocked senders list will appear. To unblock someone, find their email address and click the X or Remove button next to it. They will be unblocked when ready, and their emails will no longer go to Spam automatically.
If you have blocked many addresses and need to find a specific one, you can search or scroll through the list. Yahoo Mail keeps this list even after you delete emails from those senders, so you can review it anytime.
What happens to emails after you block a sender
When you block an email address, all messages from that sender go directly to your Spam folder. They do not appear in your inbox, and you will not see a notification. If you want to check whether a blocked sender has tried to contact you, you can look in your Spam folder at any time.
Messages from blocked senders stay in Spam until you delete them or until Yahoo Mail automatically deletes them after 30 days. You can read them if you want, but they will not clutter your inbox. If you realize you blocked someone by mistake, you can unblock them from your blocked senders list and their future emails will return to your inbox normally.
Block multiple addresses from the same person or organization
If someone is emailing you from different addresses, you will need to block each address separately. For example, if a sender uses both john@example.com and john.smith@example.com, blocking one does not block the other. Open emails from each address and block them individually.
If an organization is using many different addresses to contact you, blocking each one can become tedious. In that case, you might consider creating a filter or rule instead of blocking. Filters let you catch emails based on keywords or domain names rather than exact addresses, which can be faster if you are dealing with many variations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I block an email address without opening the message?
No, you need to open the email to see the three-dot menu and block option. However, you can open it, block the sender, and then delete it — the process takes less than a minute. If the email is already in your Spam folder, you can open it from there and block it just as easily.
Will the sender know I blocked them?
No. Yahoo Mail does not send any notification to blocked senders, and they cannot see that you have blocked them. Their emails straightforward disappear into your Spam folder without any feedback to them.
What is the difference between blocking and marking as spam?
Marking a single email as spam sends that one message to your Spam folder. Blocking the sender sends all their future emails to Spam automatically. Blocking is more permanent and requires you to unblock them if you want to receive their emails again.
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 can only block individual email addresses. If you need to block many addresses from the same domain, you can block each one, or you can create a filter rule that catches emails from that domain.
If I block someone and then unblock them, will I see their old emails?
No. Unblocking a sender only affects future emails. Their old messages that went to Spam will still be in your Spam folder, and you can read them if you want, but unblocking does not move them back to your inbox automatically.