Safety & Privacy

Beginner

4 min read 5 stepsApril 19, 2026Verified April 2026

How to Block Unwanted Email Senders

Stop annoying or suspicious emails by blocking senders in Gmail, Apple Mail, and Outlook — on your phone or computer, in just a few taps.

At a Glance

Block a sender in Gmail (app or website)

~30s

On the Gmail app (iPhone or Android): Open the email from the sender you want to block. Tap the three-dot menu (•••) in the top right corner of the email. Tap "Block [sender's name]." Confirm by tapping "Block" again. On the Gmail website (computer): Open the email. Click the three-dot menu in the top right of the email (to the right of the reply button). Click "Block [sender's name]." Confirm.

Quick Tip

Blocked senders in Gmail are automatically sent to your Spam folder. Future emails from them won't appear in your main inbox.

Block a sender in Apple Mail on iPhone

~22s

Open the Mail app. Open the email from the person you want to block. Tap the sender's name or photo at the top of the email. A small profile card appears. Tap "Block this Contact." Confirm by tapping "Block this Contact" again in the confirmation menu. From now on, emails from that address will be marked as blocked and moved to your Trash automatically.

Block a sender in Apple Mail on Mac

~27s

Open Mail on your Mac. Open the email from the unwanted sender. Click on the sender's name at the top of the email. A small box appears — click the small arrow next to their name. From the dropdown menu, click "Block Contact." Blocked emails on Mac Mail are moved to your Trash folder.

Quick Tip

On Mac Mail, you can also go to MailPreferencesJunk MailBlocked to see and manage your list of blocked senders.

Block a sender in Outlook (website or app)

~30s

On the Outlook website (outlook.com): Open the email. Click the three-dot menu (•••) at the top of the email. Click "Block" or "Block sender." Confirm. On the Outlook app (iPhone or Android): Open the email. Tap the three-dot menu. Tap "Block Sender." Confirm. Blocked senders in Outlook are moved to your Junk Email folder.

Warning

Blocking reduces but may not eliminate all spam. Some mass-spam operations send from constantly changing addresses, making blocking less effective. Marking emails as Spam/Junk also helps train your email service to filter similar messages automatically.

Check and manage your blocked senders list

~21s

In Gmail: Go to Settings (gear icon) → See all settingsFilters and Blocked Addresses. Your blocked senders are listed there. In Apple Mail on iPhone: Go to Settings appMailBlocked. In Outlook.com: Go to SettingsMailJunk emailBlocked senders. You can unblock anyone from these lists if you change your mind.

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If someone keeps emailing you with messages you don't want — spam, unwanted sales pitches, or anything suspicious — you don't have to keep deleting them. You can block the sender, which means future emails from that address go straight to your spam or trash folder, and they'll never clutter your inbox again.

Blocking a sender is different from unsubscribing. Unsubscribing works for legitimate newsletters and marketing emails that have a working unsubscribe link. Blocking is better for suspicious senders, persistent spam, or anyone who doesn't seem to respect unsubscribe requests.

Here's how to block senders in the three most common email services: Gmail, Apple Mail (iPhone and Mac), and Outlook.

A note about phone apps vs. web browser:

The steps below cover both the phone apps and the web browser versions where relevant. If you use Gmail on the website (mail.google.com on a computer), the steps are slightly different from using the Gmail app on your phone — but both are covered.

After you block someone, their existing emails are not automatically deleted from your inbox — you can delete those manually. Only new emails they send after you block them will be redirected away from your inbox.

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Official Resources

FTC Consumer Protection CISA — Cybersecurity Tips AARP Fraud Watch Network

Sources used to create and verify this guide. View all sources →

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