Find the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email

Almost every marketing email you receive is required by law to include an unsubscribe link. Look at the very bottom of the email — below the signature, below the footer with the company address. The link is usually small text that says "Unsubscribe," "Remove me," "Manage preferences," or "Stop receiving these emails."

Click that link. It will take you to a page where you can confirm you want to stop receiving emails from that sender. Some senders let you choose which types of emails to stop (like promotional emails but keep order confirmations), while others give you only an all-or-nothing option. After you confirm, the unsubscribe is usually when ready, though it can take up to ten business days for the sender to process it.

If you cannot find an unsubscribe link, the sender may be breaking the law. Check the very bottom of the email again — scroll past any images or buttons. If there truly is no link, you can report the email as spam to your email provider instead.

Key Takeaways

  • The unsubscribe link is always at the bottom of a legitimate marketing email, usually in small text.
  • Clicking the unsubscribe link takes you to a confirmation page where you choose to stop receiving emails from that sender.
  • Unsubscribes usually take effect when ready, though some senders take up to ten business days to process the request.
  • If no unsubscribe link exists, you can mark the email as spam in your email provider instead.
  • Replying to an email asking to be removed rarely works — always use the unsubscribe link.

Use your email provider's spam and unsubscribe tools

If you have already deleted the email or cannot find the unsubscribe link, your email provider has built-in tools. In Gmail, open the email, click the three dots in the top right, and select "Unsubscribe." Gmail will automatically find the unsubscribe link and process it for you. In Outlook, right-click the sender's name and choose "Unsubscribe." In Apple Mail, click the sender's name at the top and look for an "Unsubscribe" option.

These tools work only if the sender included an unsubscribe link in the email. If the option does not appear, the sender did not include one. In that case, mark the email as spam or junk instead. This trains your email provider to filter future emails from that sender and does not require the sender to have an unsubscribe link.

Mark emails as spam if there is no unsubscribe option

Spam and junk folders exist for emails that break the rules. If an email has no unsubscribe link, or if you unsubscribed but keep receiving emails from the same sender, mark it as spam. In Gmail, click the three dots and select "Report spam." In Outlook, right-click and choose "Junk." In Apple Mail, click "Junk" in the toolbar.

Marking emails as spam does two things: it trains your email provider to send future emails from that sender to your spam folder automatically, and it sends a signal to the email provider that the sender is not following the rules. If enough people report a sender, the email provider may block them entirely.

Create filters to automatically delete or sort emails

If you want to keep receiving emails from a sender but do not want them cluttering your inbox, create a filter instead of unsubscribing. Filters automatically move emails from a sender to a folder you choose, or delete them entirely. In Gmail, open an email from that sender, click the three dots, and select "Filter messages like these." Choose whether to skip the inbox, mark as read, or delete automatically. In Outlook, right-click the sender and choose "Create Rule."

Filters are useful when you want to keep emails for reference but do not need to see them arrive. For example, you might filter promotional emails to a "Sales" folder you check once a week, or filter receipts to an "Orders" folder. Unsubscribing is better if you never want to hear from the sender again.

Block a sender entirely

Blocking a sender prevents all future emails from that address from reaching your inbox — they go straight to spam. In Gmail, open an email from the sender, click the three dots, and select "Block." In Outlook, right-click the sender and choose "Block." In Apple Mail, click the sender's name and select "Block Contact."

Blocking is stronger than unsubscribing because it works even if the sender ignores your unsubscribe request. However, blocking only works for that specific email address. If the sender uses multiple addresses, you may need to block each one separately. Unsubscribing is the first step because it tells the sender you do not want their emails; blocking is what you do when they do not listen.

What to do if you keep receiving emails after unsubscribing

If you unsubscribed but the emails keep coming, the sender is not honoring your request. Wait at least ten business days — some senders batch their unsubscribe requests and process them weekly. If emails still arrive after that, the sender is breaking the law.

At that point, mark the emails as spam and block the sender. Do not reply to the email or click any links except the unsubscribe link itself — replying confirms your email address is active and may lead to more spam. If the sender is a major company, you can also report them to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov, though the FTC handles complaints in batches rather than individually.

Unsubscribe from multiple emails at once with third-party tools

If you receive dozens of unwanted emails, unsubscribing one by one takes time. Third-party tools like Unroll.me, SaneBox, and Clean Email connect to your email account and show you a list of all your subscriptions. You can then unsubscribe from multiple senders at once by checking boxes and clicking a button.

These tools work by reading your emails and finding unsubscribe links automatically. They do not delete your emails or change your password — they only process unsubscribe requests on your behalf. However, you are giving a third-party company access to read your emails, so review their privacy policy before signing up. If you prefer not to use a third-party tool, unsubscribing manually takes longer but keeps your email account under your control alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I still get emails after I unsubscribed?

The sender may not have processed your request yet — unsubscribes can take up to ten business days. If emails arrive after that, the sender is ignoring your request. Mark those emails as spam and block the sender. If the sender is a large company, report them to the Federal Trade Commission.

Is it safe to click unsubscribe links?

Unsubscribe links from legitimate senders are safe. However, scammers sometimes use fake unsubscribe links to confirm your email address is active, which leads to more spam. If an email looks suspicious — poor grammar, unknown sender, urgent language — mark it as spam instead of clicking unsubscribe.

What is the difference between unsubscribing and marking as spam?

Unsubscribing tells the sender you do not want their emails and removes you from their list. Marking as spam tells your email provider the sender is unwanted and trains your provider to filter future emails. Use unsubscribe first; use spam if the sender does not listen.

Can I unsubscribe from emails on my phone?

Yes. In Gmail on your phone, open the email, tap the three dots, and select "Unsubscribe." In Outlook, swipe left on the email and tap the trash icon, then tap "Junk." The process is the same as on a computer, just with touch instead of clicks.

What if the unsubscribe link is broken?

If clicking the unsubscribe link gives an error, the sender's system may be down temporarily. Try again in a few hours. If it keeps failing, mark the email as spam instead. A broken unsubscribe link after multiple attempts suggests the sender is not maintaining their email system properly.