Block a sender in Yahoo Mail from your inbox
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 will then send all future messages from that address to your spam folder automatically.
If you have already deleted the message, you can still block the sender. Go to your Spam folder, find an email from that address, open it, click the three-dot menu, and choose Block. The sender will be added to your block list even though the original message is gone.
Once you block someone, Yahoo stores their address in your blocked senders list. You can view and manage this list anytime by going to Settings, then selecting Blocked addresses under the Security tab. From there you can unblock an address if you change your mind.
Key Takeaways
- Open any email from the sender, click the three-dot menu, and select Block to send their future messages to spam automatically.
- Blocked senders' emails go to your spam folder, not deleted, so you can still review them if needed.
- You can block a sender even after deleting their message by finding another email from them in your Spam folder.
- Your blocked addresses list is stored in Settings under Security, where you can unblock someone at any time.
- Blocking works on desktop and mobile Yahoo Mail, though the menu location may differ slightly on phones.
Where to find the block option on different devices
On a desktop computer, the three-dot menu appears in the top right corner of the email when you open it. Click that menu and look for the word Block near the top of the dropdown list. The option is usually near other actions like Delete or Mark as Spam.
On an iPhone or Android phone using the Yahoo Mail app, open the email and tap the three-dot menu icon (usually in the top right). Scroll down in the menu that appears and tap Block sender. The wording may say "Block" or "Block sender" depending on your app version, but the result is the same.
If you are using Yahoo Mail through a web browser on your phone, the desktop steps above still explore — the three-dot menu and Block option are in the same location. The main difference is that on smaller screens the menu may be harder to tap, so take your time locating it.
What happens after you block someone
When you block an email address, Yahoo does not delete any messages that person already sent you. Instead, all their future emails are automatically routed to your Spam folder. This means you will not see notifications for their messages, but they are still stored in Spam if you ever need to review them.
The blocked sender will not receive any notification that you have blocked them. From their perspective, their emails are being sent normally — they have no way to know whether you received them, blocked them, or marked them as spam. Blocking is silent on both ends.
If the blocked sender creates a new email address and contacts you from that address, Yahoo will not automatically block the new address. You would need to block each address separately. This is why blocking works best for unwanted contacts you know by name, rather than for spam campaigns that constantly change sender addresses.
How to unblock an address you blocked by mistake
To unblock someone, log into Yahoo Mail and click the gear icon in the top right to open Settings. Select Security and privacy from the left menu, then click Blocked addresses. You will see a list of every address you have blocked.
Find the address you want to unblock in the list and click the X or Remove button next to it. Yahoo will when ready remove them from your blocked list. Their future emails will no longer go to spam and will arrive in your inbox normally.
Once you unblock someone, any emails they sent while they were blocked will still be in your Spam folder. Unblocking does not move those old messages back to your inbox — you would need to move them manually if you want to see them. Going forward, new messages from that sender will arrive in your inbox.
Block multiple addresses at once
If you want to block several addresses, you do not have to open each email individually. Go to your Spam folder and select the checkbox next to each email from senders you want to block. Once you have selected multiple emails, look for a bulk action menu (usually represented by three dots or a menu icon) and choose Block.
Yahoo Mail's bulk blocking feature works best when all the emails you want to block are from different senders. If the same sender has sent you multiple messages, selecting all of them and blocking will only block that one address once — you cannot block the same address twice.
After you block addresses in bulk, check your Spam folder to confirm the emails from those senders have been moved there. Sometimes Yahoo takes a moment to process bulk actions, so refresh your inbox if you do not see the change right away.
Difference between blocking and marking as spam
Blocking and marking as spam are two separate actions in Yahoo Mail, and they work differently. When you block an address, all future emails from that sender automatically go to Spam. When you mark a single email as spam, you are telling Yahoo that one message is unwanted, which helps train Yahoo's spam filter but does not block the sender.
Marking an email as spam is useful when you receive unwanted messages from a sender you do not plan to block permanently — for example, a mailing list you signed up for but no longer want. Blocking is better for addresses that repeatedly send you unwanted messages or that you never want to hear from again.
If you mark an email as spam but do not block the sender, their future messages may still arrive in your inbox. Yahoo's spam filter learns from your choices, but it does not automatically block the sender the way the Block feature does. For persistent unwanted senders, blocking is the more reliable choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I block an email address if I have already deleted the message?
Yes. Go to your Spam folder and look for another email from that sender. Open it, click the three-dot menu, and select Block. Yahoo will add the address to your blocked list even though you deleted the original message.
Will the person I blocked know that I blocked them?
No. The blocked sender receives no notification. From their perspective, their emails are being sent normally. They have no way to know whether you received them, blocked them, or deleted them.
What if a blocked sender creates a new email address and contacts me?
Yahoo will not automatically block the new address. You would need to block each address separately. This is why blocking works best for known contacts rather than spam campaigns that frequently change sender addresses.
Do blocked emails get deleted or just moved to spam?
Blocked emails go to your Spam folder, not deleted. You can still open and read them if needed. They straightforward do not appear in your inbox and do not trigger notifications.
Can I unblock someone after I have blocked them?
Yes. Go to Settings, select Security and privacy, then click Blocked addresses. Find the address you want to unblock and click the X or Remove button next to it. Their future emails will arrive in your inbox normally.