Your inbox is under attack. Between promotional blasts, phishing attempts, and messages from senders you've never heard of, unwanted email has become one of the biggest drains on your workday. 

With 46.8% of email traffic now classified as spam, it's no wonder you're searching for ways to block them. Whether you're a busy executive processing hundreds of emails daily or a productivity-focused professional seeking workflow efficiency, you'll find actionable strategies to protect your time and security.

Here's how to block emails in Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo and reclaim your time in 2026.

Understanding how to block emails

Before diving into platform-specific instructions, it's important to understand what blocking emails actually does and when to use it effectively.

When you block emails from a sender, future messages from that address are automatically redirected to your spam or junk folder. However, blocking has a critical limitation: it only works when senders use consistent email addresses. Spammers frequently rotate addresses (e.g., "sender123@domain.com" becomes "sender456@domain.com"), making individual blocking ineffective against true spam operations.

Blocking vs. filtering: It's worth noting that blocking and filtering are different. Blocking redirects emails to spam/junk, while filters offer more flexibility. You can delete emails automatically, apply labels, archive them, or forward them elsewhere. For persistent unwanted emails, filters often provide better control than simple blocking.

When blocking works best:

• Legitimate but unwanted senders using consistent addresses
• Known contacts sending unwanted communications
• Persistent marketing from identifiable companies

When to use other methods instead:

• For suspicious or phishing emails: Mark as spam to train filters
• For legitimate newsletters: Unsubscribe directly
• For spam from rotating addresses: Use domain-level filtering

Why am I getting spam email?

Your email becomes a spam target through several common channels:

• Mass marketing: Companies add your email to marketing lists when you sign up for services. These lists are frequently exchanged or sold between companies.
• Data breaches: Phishing is the most common initial attack vector, responsible for 16% of data breaches according to IBM's 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report.
• Phishing attempts: Nearly 900 million phishing attempts were blocked in 2024, a 26% increase from the previous year.
• Scattershot email: With 160 billion spam emails sent daily worldwide, even random targeting reaches millions of inboxes.
• Automated sign-ups: Bots can use your email address to sign up for newsletters and services you never requested.

The true cost of spam and unwanted emails

Business Email Compromise attacks cost $2.77 billion in 2024 alone. Beyond financial losses, spam imposes substantial productivity costs:

• Knowledge workers spend up to 28% of their workweek managing email, more than a full workday every week
• The average employee loses two business days per year sorting through spam
• Email interruptions take an average of 23 minutes to recover from, as workers need time to refocus after each distraction

How to block emails in Gmail

Here's how to block emails in Gmail:

Blocking emails from a specific sender

1. Open Gmail on your device or navigate to Gmail.com
2. Find an email from the sender you wish to block
3. Open the email (only if it doesn't appear suspicious)
4. Click the three vertical dots (⋮) in the top-right corner
5. Select "Block [Sender's Name]" from the dropdown menu

Future emails from this sender will be directed to your spam folder.

Creating Gmail filters for automated blocking

For more sophisticated control, Gmail supports up to 1,000 filters per account:

1. Click the search options icon (funnel icon) in Gmail's search bar
2. Enter your filter criteria (sender, subject keywords, or domain)
3. Click "Create filter" at the bottom
4. Choose your desired action (delete, archive, or skip the inbox)

Pro tip: To block an entire domain, use from:@spamdomain.com. Combine multiple domains using: @spamdomain.com OR @anotherspammer.com.

Managing blocked senders

Click the gear icon → "See all settings" → "Filters and Blocked Addresses" tab to view, manage, or unblock senders.

How to block emails in Yahoo

Here's how to block emails in Yahoo Mail on desktop and mobile:

Blocking emails on Yahoo desktop

1. Open Yahoo Mail at Yahoo.com and sign in
2. Find and open an email from the sender you wish to block
3. Click the three vertical dots or "More" option in the toolbar
4. Select "Block Senders" and confirm your decision

Future emails from this sender will go directly to your spam folder.

Blocking emails on Yahoo mobile app

1. Open the Yahoo Mail app on your iPhone or Android device
2. Open an email from the sender you want to block
3. Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner
4. Select "Block sender" and confirm

Creating Yahoo filters

Yahoo also supports filters to automatically sort or delete emails:

1. Go to Settings (gear icon) → "More Settings" → "Filters"
2. Click "Add new filters"
3. Set your criteria (sender address, subject, or keywords)
4. Choose an action: delete, move to folder, or mark as read

Managing blocked senders in Yahoo

Go to Settings (gear icon) → "More Settings" → "Security and Privacy" to view your blocked addresses list. Click "Remove" next to any address you want to unblock.

How to block emails in Outlook

Here's how to block emails in Outlook:

Blocking emails from a specific sender

1. Open Outlook on your device or visit Outlook.com
2. Find an email from the sender you wish to block
3. Open the email and click the three vertical dots (⋮) or "More Actions"
4. Select "Block Sender" and confirm your action

Creating Outlook rules for automated blocking

Outlook rules work similarly to Gmail filters and offer powerful automation:

1. Go to Settings (gear icon) → "View all Outlook settings" → "Mail" → "Rules"
2. Click "Add new rule"
3. Name your rule and set conditions (sender, subject keywords, etc.)
4. Choose an action: delete, move to folder, or mark as junk
5. Click "Save"

Rules are especially useful for blocking entire domains or emails containing specific keywords.

Adjusting spam filter protection levels

You can set protection levels from "No Automatic Filtering" to "Safe Lists Only." The "High" setting catches most junk mail but may occasionally flag legitimate messages.

Managing blocked senders and safe senders

Go to Settings (gear icon) → "View all Outlook settings" → "Mail" → "Junk email" to:

• Review and remove blocked senders and domains
• Add trusted contacts to your "Safe senders" list to ensure their emails always reach your inbox

How to block emails in Apple Mail

Here's how to block emails in Apple Mail on Mac and iCloud:

Blocking emails on Mac Mail app

1. Open the Mail app on your Mac
2. Find and open an email from the sender you want to block
3. Click the sender's name in the email header
4. Select "Block Contact" from the dropdown arrow next to their name
5. Confirm by clicking "Block Contact" in the pop-up

Blocked emails will be moved to your Trash folder. To send them to Junk instead, go to Mail → Settings → Junk Mail and adjust your preferences.

Blocking emails on iCloud Mail (web)

1. Go to iCloud.com and sign in to Mail
2. Open an email from the sender you want to block
3. Click the "i" icon next to the sender's name
4. Select "Block Contact" and confirm

Managing blocked senders on Mac

Go to Mail → Settings → Junk Mail → "Blocked" tab to view all blocked addresses. Select any address and click the minus (-) button to unblock.

How to block emails in other email providers

Protonmail

1. Open Protonmail in your browser or app
2. Open an email from the sender you want to block
3. Click the sender's address in the email header
4. Select "Block messages from this sender"

You can also create filters in Settings → Filters for more control over incoming emails.

AOL Mail

1. Open AOL Mail at mail.aol.com
2. Open an email from the sender you want to block
3. Click the three-dot menu or "More" option
4. Select "Block Sender"

Manage blocked senders in Options → Mail Settings → Spam Settings.

Zoho Mail

1. Open Zoho Mail in your browser
2. Open an email from the sender you want to block
3. Click the three-dot menu in the toolbar
4. Select "Block" → "Block Sender"

Create advanced filters in Settings → Filters to automatically delete or move emails from specific domains.

Blocking emails vs. marking as spam vs. unsubscribing

Each method serves a different purpose:

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security recommends a layered approach: use filters first, unsubscribe from legitimate sources, mark spam to train filters, and block as a last resort.

How to report spam and phishing emails

Beyond blocking, reporting spam and phishing helps protect yourself and others by improving email provider filters.

Gmail

• Click the three-dot menu (⋮) → Select "Report spam" or "Report phishing"
• For phishing, you can also forward the email to reportphishing@apwg.org

Outlook

• Click the three-dot menu → Select "Report" → Choose "Report phishing" or "Report junk"
• Forward phishing emails to phish@office365.microsoft.com

Yahoo

• Click the "Spam" button in the toolbar, or
• Click the three-dot menu → Select "Report spam"

Why reporting matters

When you report spam or phishing, you're helping train the email provider's machine learning filters. This improves spam detection for all users, not just yourself. For phishing attempts, reporting can help providers block malicious senders faster, potentially preventing others from falling victim to scams.

How to block emails on mobile

iPhone Mail (iOS)

1. Open the email from the sender you want to block
2. Tap the sender's name or email address at the top
3. Tap "Block this Contact" and confirm

Note: iOS 18's AI email features (smart categorization and summaries) only work with iCloud Mail accounts, not Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo.

Gmail app (iPhone and Android)

1. Open the Gmail app
2. Open an email from the sender you want to block
3. Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top right
4. Select "Block [sender name]"

For persistent spam from multiple addresses, create filters in Gmail's web interface targeting the sender's domain or keywords.

Outlook mobile app (iPhone and Android)

1. Open the Outlook app
2. Open an email from the sender you want to block
3. Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top right
4. Select "Block sender" or "Move to Junk"

Note: Some blocking features require managing settings through Outlook.com on desktop.

Yahoo Mail app (iPhone and Android)

1. Open the Yahoo Mail app
2. Open an email from the sender you want to block
3. Tap the three-dot menu (⋮)
4. Select "Block sender" and confirm

What to do when blocking emails doesn't work

The core problem: blocking targets specific email addresses, but spammers frequently change addresses to evade filters.

Advanced solutions

• Domain-level blocking: Create a filter with from:@spamdomain.com to catch all emails from that domain
• Pattern-based filtering: Filter by subject line keywords (e.g., "limited time offer") or content patterns
• Combine filters: Use from:@spam1.com OR from:@spam2.com OR subject:"limited offer"
• Use email aliases: Gmail's plus addressing (yourname+service@gmail.com) helps track spam sources
• Regular spam training: Consistently mark spam correctly to train machine learning filters
• Third-party tools: Email management apps like Superhuman, Clean Email, or Unroll.me can help manage blocking across multiple accounts and offer more powerful filtering options

Your legal rights against spam

U.S. residents have legal protections against unwanted commercial emails under federal law.

CAN-SPAM Act protections

The CAN-SPAM Act is the primary federal law governing commercial email in the United States. It requires businesses to:

• Include a clear opt-out mechanism in every commercial email
• Honor opt-out requests within 10 business days
• Include the sender's valid physical postal address
• Use accurate "From" and "Subject" lines (no deceptive headers)
• Identify the message as an advertisement if applicable

Penalties: Violators face fines of up to $51,744 per email (adjusted for inflation from the original $43,280). The FTC, state attorneys general, and internet service providers can all bring enforcement actions.

How to file a complaint

If a company continues sending emails after you've unsubscribed, you can:

1. Report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
2. Forward spam to the FTC at spam@uce.gov
3. Report phishing to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@apwg.org
4. Contact your state attorney general for violations of state consumer protection laws

State-level protections

Several states have additional anti-spam laws that may provide stronger protections:

• California: Business and Professions Code Section 17529 prohibits spam with falsified headers
• Virginia: Computer Crimes Act covers spam sent to Virginia residents
• Washington: Commercial Electronic Mail Act requires clear sender identification

Note: While the CAN-SPAM Act doesn't allow private lawsuits (individuals can't sue spammers directly), the FTC actively pursues violators, and reporting helps build cases against repeat offenders.

Superhuman Mail makes blocking emails easier

With nearly half of all email traffic being spam and phishing serving as the most common initial attack vector for data breaches, effective email blocking matters more than ever.

Superhuman Mail helps teams save 4 hours per person every week. With just a few clicks in Superhuman Mail for Outlook, for example, you can block specific senders or entire domains, and delete everything they've ever sent you. Features like Split Inbox automatically categorize emails to spotlight high-priority messages, while Superhuman AI helps you draft responses in your personal tone.

Fly through your inbox. Try Superhuman Mail today.

FAQs

Does blocking an email notify the sender?

No. When you block someone, they receive no notification. Their emails simply get redirected to your spam or junk folder (or deleted, depending on your settings). From the sender's perspective, it appears as though their emails were delivered normally.

Can I block emails from an entire domain?

Yes, but not through the standard "block" button. You'll need to create a filter or rule:

• Gmail: Create a filter with from:@domain.com and set it to delete or skip inbox
• Outlook: Create a rule targeting the domain in junk email settings
• Yahoo: Use filters to block by domain

How many email addresses can I block?

Limits vary by provider:

• Gmail: No published limit for blocked addresses; 1,000 filter limit
• Outlook: Up to 1,024 blocked senders and domains combined
• Yahoo: Up to 500 blocked addresses
• Apple Mail: No published limit

Will blocking stop all emails from that sender?

Blocking stops future emails from that specific address. However, it won't:

• Delete emails already in your inbox
• Stop emails if the sender uses a different address
• Block emails sent to mailing lists you're on

For complete protection, combine blocking with filters and regularly mark spam to train your provider's filters.

Can I block emails on multiple accounts at once?

Most email providers require you to manage blocks separately for each account. However, third-party email management tools like Superhuman can help you manage multiple accounts from a single interface, making it easier to maintain consistent blocking rules across your personal and work emails.

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