The fastest way to block someone depends on your email provider

Most email providers let you block a sender in one or two clicks, and the blocked person's messages go straight to spam or a blocked folder instead of your inbox. Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, and Apple Mail all have a block feature built in — you do not need to read anything or change settings. The exact steps differ slightly between providers, but the result is the same: you will not see their messages unless you go looking for them.

Blocking is different from unsubscribing. When you unsubscribe from a mailing list, you are asking a company to remove you from their newsletter. When you block a person, you are telling your email provider to hide all messages from that address. Blocking works even if the person keeps sending mail.

Key Takeaways

  • In Gmail, open an email from the person, click the three dots, and select "Block [sender]" — blocked messages go to spam automatically.
  • In Outlook, right-click the sender's name in your inbox and choose "Block" — their future messages skip your inbox.
  • In Yahoo Mail, open a message from the person, click the three dots, and select "Block sender" — you can unblock them later if needed.
  • Blocking only hides messages on the device or browser where you set it; if you use email on your phone and computer, you may need to block the person in both places.
  • A blocked sender can still send you mail, but you will not receive a notification and their messages will not appear in your inbox.

How to block someone in Gmail

Open any email from the person you want to block. At the top right of the message, click the three vertical dots (the menu icon). A dropdown menu will appear with several options. Click "Block [sender's name]" — Gmail will show you this exact phrasing so you know you are blocking the right person.

Once you click block, Gmail moves that message and all future messages from that address to your spam folder automatically. You can still see blocked messages if you go into your spam folder and look for them, but they will not show up in your inbox or trigger notifications. If you change your mind later, you can unblock the person by going to Settings, then Filters and Blocked Addresses, finding their name, and clicking "Unblock."

How to block someone in Outlook

Open your inbox and find any email from the person you want to block. Right-click on their name or the message itself. A context menu will pop up. Select "Block" or "Block sender" — the exact wording depends on whether you right-clicked the name or the full message, but both lead to the same result.

Outlook will ask you to confirm that you want to block this sender. Click yes. From that point forward, messages from that address will skip your inbox and go to your Junk folder instead. If you need to unblock them, go to Settings, then Mail, then Junk Email, find the Blocked Senders tab, locate their address, and click the X next to it.

How to block someone in Yahoo Mail

Find an email from the person in your inbox. Click the three dots at the top right of that message. A menu will open. Select "Block sender." Yahoo will confirm that you are blocking this address and ask if you want to delete all past messages from them — you can choose yes or no depending on whether you want to keep a record.

After you block someone in Yahoo, their future messages go to your spam folder. Yahoo does not send you notifications when a blocked person emails you. To unblock someone later, go to Settings, then Security and Privacy, find the Blocked Addresses section, and click the X next to their name.

How to block someone in Apple Mail

If you use Apple Mail on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad, open an email from the person you want to block. On a Mac, click the mail address at the top of the message and select "Block Contact" from the dropdown. On an iPhone or iPad, tap the sender's name at the top, then tap "Block this Contact."

Apple Mail will move blocked messages to the trash automatically. Unlike Gmail and Outlook, Apple Mail does not have a separate spam folder for blocked senders — their messages straightforward disappear. If you block someone by mistake, you can unblock them by going to Mail settings, finding the VIP or Blocked list (depending on your device), and removing their name.

What happens after you block someone

Once you block a sender, you will not see their messages in your inbox, and you will not get notifications when they email you. The blocked person does not receive any notification that you have blocked them — from their perspective, their email was sent normally. They may not realize you are not reading their messages.

Blocking is not permanent. You can unblock someone at any time by going into your email settings and finding the blocked senders list. The process takes less than a minute. Some people block someone temporarily while a conflict cools down, then unblock them later. Others block permanently. The choice is yours.

Blocking on your phone versus your computer

If you check email on both a phone and a computer, blocking someone in one place does not automatically block them in the other. For example, if you block someone in Gmail on your iPhone, they are still unblocked in Gmail on your laptop. You will need to block them separately on each device.

The easiest way to avoid this is to block someone on the device you use most often, then check your email on other devices less frequently or set up the same block there too. If you use the web version of your email (like gmail.com in a browser), blocking works across all browsers and devices automatically — you only have to do it once.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone tell if I have blocked them?

No. A blocked sender will not receive any notification that you have blocked them. Their emails are sent normally from their perspective — they have no way to know whether you are reading them or if they are going to spam. They might suspect it if you stop responding, but the email system itself does not tell them.

What if someone keeps emailing me from different addresses?

You can block multiple addresses one at a time using the same steps. However, if someone is deliberately creating new email accounts to contact you after you have blocked them, that may cross into harassment. Most email providers have a "report spam" or "report abuse" option in addition to blocking — use that to flag the behavior to their email provider.

Will blocking delete old emails from that person?

Blocking does not delete past messages by default. Old emails from the blocked person stay in your inbox unless you manually delete them. Some email providers (like Yahoo) ask if you want to delete past messages when you block someone — you can choose yes or no. If you want to delete them later, you can search for their address and delete the results manually.

Can I block someone without opening their email?

In most providers, you need to open at least one email from the person to access the block option. However, some providers like Outlook let you right-click a sender's name in your inbox list without opening the message. Check your email provider's interface — if you see a menu option when you right-click a name, you can block from there.

What is the difference between blocking and unsubscribing?

Unsubscribing removes you from a mailing list — it tells a company to stop sending you newsletters or promotional emails. Blocking prevents all messages from a specific address from reaching your inbox. Unsubscribe if you signed up for something you no longer want. Block if someone is sending unwanted personal messages or harassment.