The fastest way to block an email depends on which service you use

Most email providers let you block a sender in two or three clicks from the message itself. In Gmail, open the email, click the three dots in the top right, and select "Block [sender's name]." In Outlook, right-click the sender's name and choose "Block." In Apple Mail, click the sender's address and select "Block Contact." Once blocked, emails from that address go straight to spam and you won't see notifications.

The blocked sender can still send you messages — they just land in your spam folder instead of your inbox. If you want to unblock someone later, you can do that from your spam settings. The process takes less than a minute and requires no special knowledge.

Key Takeaways

  • Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail all have block buttons built into each email, usually in a menu marked with three dots or accessible by right-clicking the sender.
  • Blocked emails go to spam automatically, but the sender won't know they've been blocked and can still send messages.
  • You can unblock someone at any time by finding their address in your spam folder or blocked senders list and reversing the block.
  • If you receive threats or harassment, blocking is a first step, but you may also want to report the email to your provider or law enforcement.

How to block in Gmail

Open the email from the person you want to block. In the top right corner, you'll see three vertical dots (sometimes called a menu button). Click it, and a dropdown list appears. Select "Block [sender's name]" from that list.

Gmail will ask you to confirm. Click "Block" again. From that moment on, all emails from that address go to your spam folder. You won't see them in your inbox, and Gmail won't send you notifications about them. If the sender uses a different email address, you'll need to block that one separately.

How to block in Outlook (web and desktop)

In Outlook on the web, open the email and look for the sender's name at the top. Right-click directly on the sender's email address or name. A menu appears with the option "Block." Click it. Outlook will move that email to spam and block future messages from that address.

In Outlook on your computer (Windows or Mac), the process is the same: right-click the sender's name or address in the email header and select "Block Sender." You may see a confirmation message. After that, emails from that sender go to your Junk folder automatically.

How to block in Apple Mail and iCloud Mail

In Apple Mail on Mac, open the email and click on the sender's email address. A small menu appears. Select "Block Contact." The sender is now blocked, and future emails from them go to your trash or junk folder depending on your settings.

In iCloud Mail (on iCloud.com), open the email, click the three dots in the top right, and select "Block." You may also see an option to report the email as spam at the same time. Either action sends future emails from that address to your spam folder.

How to block in Yahoo Mail and other providers

Yahoo Mail works similarly to Gmail. Open the email, click the three dots (or sometimes a menu icon), and look for "Block sender" or "Block." Click it and confirm. Yahoo moves the sender to your blocked list and routes their future emails to spam.

Most other email providers follow the same pattern: find a menu button on the email (usually three dots), look for a block or report option, and click it. If you can't find the option, check your provider's help center by searching "[your provider] how to block a sender." The exact wording varies, but the feature exists in nearly every modern email service.

How to unblock someone you blocked by mistake

In Gmail, go to Settings (the gear icon in the top right). Click "See all settings," then go to the "Filters and Blocked Addresses" tab. You'll see a list of blocked addresses. Find the one you want to unblock and click "Unblock" next to it.

In Outlook, go to Settings, then "Mail," then "Junk email." Look for "Blocked senders" and find the address you want to unblock. Click the X or remove button next to it. In Apple Mail, go to Mail menu, then Preferences, then Junk Mail, and look for your blocked senders list there. The exact location varies slightly by version, but it's always in settings under a junk or blocked senders section.

What to do if blocking isn't enough

If someone is sending you threats, harassment, or unwanted sexual content, blocking is a first step but not the only one. Most email providers let you report the email as spam or abuse at the same time you block. In Gmail, click the three dots and select "Report spam" or "Report phishing." In Outlook, right-click and choose "Report as junk" or "Report phishing." This tells your provider's security team about the sender.

If the harassment continues from multiple addresses or escalates to threats, save the emails and report them to your local police department. Many police agencies have online reporting for cyberstalking and harassment. You can also contact the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov if the emails involve fraud or extortion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the person I blocked know that I blocked them?

No. When you block someone, they won't receive a notification. Their emails still go out, but they land in your spam folder instead of your inbox. They have no way to know whether you blocked them, marked them as spam, or straightforward never read their message.

Can a blocked sender see if I've read their emails?

No. Once blocked, their emails go to spam, and your email provider doesn't send read receipts or delivery confirmations for messages in the spam folder. They won't know if you ever see their messages.

What happens if a blocked person emails me from a different address?

Blocking only affects the specific email address you blocked. If the sender uses a different address, those emails will arrive in your inbox normally. You'll need to block each address separately. If someone is harassing you from multiple addresses, report it to your provider's abuse team rather than blocking individually.

Can I block an entire domain instead of just one email address?

Most email providers don't have a built-in block-by-domain feature in their standard settings. However, you can create a filter or rule that automatically sends all emails from a domain to spam. In Gmail, go to Settings, Filters and Blocked Addresses, and create a new filter with the domain name (like @example.com) in the "From" field, then choose "Skip the Inbox" or "Delete." Outlook has a similar feature under Junk Email settings.

If I unblock someone, will I see their old emails?

No. Unblocking only stops future emails from going to spam. Emails that were already sent to spam while the address was blocked stay in your spam folder. You can manually move them back to your inbox if you want to read them, but unblocking doesn't do that automatically.