Block someone in Yahoo Mail in three steps
Open the email from the person you want to block. Click the three dots (more options) in the top right of the message. Select Block from the menu that appears. Yahoo Mail will move that sender's future messages to spam automatically.
If you have already deleted the email, you can still block the sender. Go to your Spam folder, find an email from that person, open it, click the three dots, and select Block. The sender's address gets added to your block list whether the original message is in your inbox or trash.
Once you block someone, their emails go straight to spam. They will not know they are blocked, and you will not see a notification that their message arrived. If they send mail from a different email address, that new address will not be blocked automatically — you would need to block it separately.
Key Takeaways
- Blocking takes 10 seconds: open the email, click the three dots, and select Block.
- Blocked senders' messages land in spam, not your inbox, and you receive no notification when they arrive.
- Blocking one email address does not block other addresses the same person might use.
- You can unblock someone at any time by going to Settings and removing them from your blocked list.
Where to find your blocked senders list
Your blocked addresses live in Yahoo Mail Settings. Click the gear icon in the top right corner of your inbox, then select Settings. In the left sidebar, click Security and Privacy. Scroll down to Blocked addresses and you will see everyone you have blocked.
From this same page, you can unblock someone by clicking the X next to their name. Unblocking means their future emails will go to your inbox again instead of spam. This does not recover old messages from them — those stay in spam unless you move them manually.
Block someone without opening their email
You do not have to open a message to block the sender. In your inbox list, right-click on the email from the person you want to block. A menu will appear with the option to Block sender. Click it, and that address is blocked when ready.
This method works the same way as blocking from inside the email — the sender goes to your block list and their future messages land in spam. Right-clicking is faster if you have many emails from the same person and do not want to open each one.
What happens to emails from blocked senders
When you block someone, Yahoo Mail routes their messages to your Spam folder automatically. You can still see these emails if you check your spam folder, but they will not show up in your inbox or trigger new message notifications. The blocked sender has no way to know their messages are being filtered.
If a blocked sender emails you from a different address, that new message will arrive in your inbox normally. Yahoo Mail does not block all addresses from the same person — only the specific address you blocked. If someone is harassing you from multiple email accounts, you would need to block each address separately as they contact you.
Blocking does not prevent someone from seeing your replies
Blocking stops incoming mail, but it does not prevent a blocked person from receiving messages if you reply to them. If you send an email to someone you have blocked, they will get it. Blocking is one-way: it stops their messages from reaching you, but does not stop your messages from reaching them.
If you need to prevent someone from contacting you and also want to stop communicating with them entirely, blocking alone may not be enough. In cases of harassment or threats, consider reporting the sender to Yahoo Mail support in addition to blocking them.
Report spam or harassment alongside blocking
Blocking removes someone from your inbox, but reporting them to Yahoo Mail helps protect other users. When you open an email from someone harassing you, click the three dots and select Report phishing or Report spam depending on what the message contains. This sends the email to Yahoo's abuse team for review.
If someone is sending threatening messages, report the email and then block the sender. Yahoo Mail takes reports of harassment seriously and may take action against the account. Reporting does not affect whether the sender can contact you — blocking is what stops their messages from reaching your inbox.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I block someone on Yahoo Mail from my phone?
Yes. Open the Yahoo Mail app, find the email from the person you want to block, swipe left on it (iPhone) or long-press it (Android), and tap Block. The process is the same as on a computer — the sender goes to your block list and their future messages go to spam.
If I block someone, can they see that I blocked them?
No. Blocked senders receive no notification that you blocked them. Their messages straightforward disappear into spam. They might notice if they never get replies from you, but Yahoo Mail does not send them a message saying they are blocked.
What if someone keeps emailing me from different addresses?
Block each address as it arrives. Yahoo Mail does not have a way to block all addresses from one person automatically. If harassment continues across many addresses, report the messages to Yahoo's abuse team — they can investigate whether the accounts are connected and take broader action.
Can I block an entire domain, like all emails from a company?
Yahoo Mail blocks individual email addresses, not entire domains. If you want to block all messages from a company domain, you would need to block each sender's address separately. For frequent unwanted mail from a domain, reporting as spam helps train Yahoo's filters to catch similar messages.
If I unblock someone, will old messages come back to my inbox?
No. Unblocking only affects future messages. Old emails from that sender stay in your spam folder unless you move them manually. Unblocking straightforward means their new messages will go to your inbox instead of spam going forward.