Definition
💡 A block in email is an account-level rule that prevents future delivery of messages from a specified email address to your inbox. When a blocked address sends you mail, your provider automatically handles it without generating a notification or alerting the sender.
Example
You receive repeated unwanted messages from promos@example.com. You block the address. From that point on, any email from promos@example.com is automatically intercepted — it never appears in your inbox. The sender's mail system reports the message as delivered. They have no indication anything has changed.
What Blocking Does and Doesn't Do
Blocking is targeted and forward-looking. A few things it does not do:
- It doesn't delete old emails. Messages already in your inbox, sent folder, or other folders remain untouched. Only future mail is affected.
- It doesn't block the person — only the address. If the same sender emails you from a different address, that message arrives normally.
- It doesn't notify the sender. There is no bounce, no error, and no read receipt. From their side, the email appears to have been delivered.
- It doesn't always sync across apps. Blocks set at the account level (via a provider's web interface or settings) apply everywhere you access that account. Blocks set inside a local app (like Outlook desktop or Apple Mail) may only apply on that device.
Blocking vs. Reporting Spam
These two actions are easy to confuse but serve different purposes.
Blocking is a personal action: you're telling your provider to stop a specific address from reaching you. It has no effect on other users and doesn't tell the provider anything about the nature of the message.
Reporting spam is a collective action: you're flagging a message to help your provider's filters recognize similar messages for all users. It trains the system but doesn't guarantee the same sender is immediately blocked for you.
For an unwanted sender you know, block them. For unsolicited junk from unknown sources, report as spam — then block if it keeps coming.
