The fastest way depends on your email provider

Most email providers — Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo — have a built-in block feature that takes 10 seconds to use. You open the email from the person you want to block, click a menu (usually three dots or a down arrow), and select "Block" or "Block sender". The sender's future emails go straight to spam or a blocked folder, and you won't see notifications from them.

The exact steps and what happens to blocked mail differ slightly between providers. Gmail sends blocked mail to spam. Outlook moves it to a junk folder. Yahoo lets you choose whether to delete it or send it to spam. None of them notify the sender that they've been blocked — the person will have no way to know unless they try to email you and notice you never respond.

If you use a work email through Outlook, Gmail for Business, or another corporate system, the block feature works the same way, but your IT department may have additional rules in place. Check with them if blocking doesn't seem to work after a few days.

Key Takeaways

  • Blocking happens in your email account settings, not through your internet provider, and takes less than a minute.
  • Blocked emails go to spam or a junk folder automatically — you won't see them unless you look for them.
  • The sender receives no notification that you've blocked them.
  • If someone creates a new email address and keeps contacting you, you can block the new address the same way.
  • Blocking is different from unsubscribing; unsubscribe works for newsletters, blocking works for individual people.

How to block in Gmail

Open the email from the person you want to block. In the top right corner, click the three vertical dots (the menu icon). A dropdown menu appears. Click "Block [sender's name]". Gmail will ask you to confirm — click "Block" again.

From that moment on, all emails from that address go to your spam folder. If you change your mind, you can unblock them the same way: go to Settings, click the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab, find the blocked address, and click "Unblock".

How to block in Outlook (web and desktop)

Open the email from the person you want to block. Click the three dots in the top right corner. Select "Block" from the menu. Outlook asks you to confirm — click "Block sender".

Blocked emails move to your Junk folder. If you use Outlook on your desktop (the installed program rather than the web version), the steps are slightly different: right-click the email, select "Junk", then "Block Sender". To unblock, go to Settings, then Junk Email, find the blocked address in the list, and remove it.

How to block in Yahoo Mail

Open the email from the person you want to block. Click the three dots in the toolbar at the top. Select "Block sender". Yahoo asks what you want to do with future emails from this address — you can delete them automatically or send them to spam. Choose whichever you prefer and confirm.

To unblock, go to Settings, click Blocked Addresses, find the person's email, and click the X next to their name.

What to do if someone keeps emailing you from different addresses

If the person creates new email addresses and keeps contacting you, block each new address as it arrives. This is tedious, but it's the only way to stop individual senders without help from your email provider's support team.

If the harassment is severe or threatening, don't just block — save the emails as evidence and report them to your email provider's abuse team. Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo all have abuse reporting buttons. You can also report the behavior to local law enforcement if the person is threatening or stalking you. Blocking alone won't stop someone determined to harass you, but it removes the convenience of reaching you easily.

The difference between blocking and unsubscribing

Unsubscribe is for newsletters, marketing emails, and mailing lists — it removes you from a distribution list that the sender controls. Block is for individual people whose emails you don't want to see at all. If you unsubscribe from a newsletter, the company stops sending you mail, but they know you received it. If you block someone, they have no way to know you've blocked them.

Most marketing emails have an "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom. Click it and you're off the list. If you block a marketing email instead, future emails from that sender still go to spam, but you're not officially unsubscribed from their list — they may still try to send to you, just to your spam folder.

Why blocked emails don't disappear completely

When you block someone, their emails don't vanish from your account — they move to spam or a blocked folder. This is intentional. If the person later claims they sent you something important (a receipt, a contract, a important date), you can still find it in spam and prove you received it. It also protects you if you need evidence of harassment.

You can delete blocked emails manually if you want them gone, but most people leave them in spam. Check your spam folder occasionally to make sure important mail isn't being caught there by mistake — sometimes legitimate senders get blocked accidentally.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the person I blocked tell that I've blocked them?

No. They won't receive a notification. If they email you, the message will appear to send normally on their end, but you won't see it. The only way they'd know is if they noticed you never respond and they asked someone else or tried a different email address.

What happens if I block someone by mistake?

You can unblock them when ready. In Gmail, go to Settings and click Filters and Blocked Addresses. In Outlook, go to Settings and Junk Email. In Yahoo, go to Settings and Blocked Addresses. Find the person's email and click unblock or remove. Future emails from them will arrive normally again.

If I block someone, will they see that I read their old emails?

No. Blocking only affects new emails going forward. Old emails from that person stay in your inbox or archive, and the sender has no way to know whether you've read them. Read receipts (which tell a sender when you open their email) are a separate setting you control in your email account.

Can I block an entire domain, like all emails from a company?

Not through the basic block feature. Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo all let you create filters or rules that automatically send emails from a domain to spam, but this requires going into Settings and creating a custom rule. If you need to block a whole company, contact your email provider's support team — they can help you set up a domain-level block.

Does blocking someone on email also block them on other platforms?

No. Blocking in Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo only affects email from that address. If the person contacts you through social media, text, or another app, that's a separate block. You have to block them separately on each platform.