What Happens When You Block Someone on Gmail
When you click to block a sender in Gmail, here’s what happens:
- Emails are automatically moved: Future emails from the blocked sender are automatically sent to your Spam folder. They will not appear in your main Inbox.
- Old emails remain untouched: Emails from the blocked sender that were received before the block will stay in their current location in your mailbox.
- Unblocking is possible: If you decide to unblock the sender later, you can do so through the Filters and Blocked Addresses section in your Gmail Settings, where the sender is marked as blocked. Future emails from that sender will then resume appearing in your inbox.
Blocking a sender is a useful feature to stop unwanted emails and keep your inbox cleaner without manually deleting each unnecessary message.
- How to Block Emails on Gmail on a Computer
- How to Block Emails on Gmail on a Mobile Device
- Block All Unknown Senders with Clean Email
- Unsubscribe From Newsletters and Other Mailing Lists
- Report Spam and Phishing
- Protect my Gmail ✨
💡 Note: If you prefer to block all incoming messages from all new senders until you have approved a sender, check out the Screener feature.
A Quick Video Tutorial on Blocking Emails
We created a quick video tutorial that shows how to block unwanted emails in Gmail so that you won’t see them in your inbox again:
You can block an email on Gmail from your computer, iPhone, or Android device. In addition to blocking emails from specific addresses, you can stop messages above or below a certain size and emails containing attachments.
Keep reading to learn how to block an email address on Gmail, how Clean Email can simplify this task, and more, making your digital life easier to manage.
How to Block Emails on Gmail on a Computer: 5 Methods
There are five ways to stop unwanted messages from arriving in your Gmail Inbox.
1. Blocking from an email
Here's the quickest way to block an email on Gmail:
- Open a message from the person you want to stop.
- Select More (the three vertical dots next to the Reply button) and choose Block "sender's name" from the menu.
- In the Block this email address dialog, select Block.
When you stop someone from emailing you on Gmail, a message appears above the email that gives you the option to unblock the Gmail sender.
2. Block by sender’s domain in Clean Email
With Clean Email, you can create an Auto Clean rule to block spam messages from domains efficiently. Unlike Gmail, Auto Clean lets you pause this rule when necessary.
If you get spam emails that come from different addresses, but those emails have the same domain name, you can stop all emails sent from that domain at once.
Here's how to block emails from a domain in Gmail using Clean Email:
- Launch the application and navigate to the left-side panel to access Auto Clean. Then, click the ✚ icon at the top.
- Give a unique name to the new rule and opt for Any sender or recipients.
- Locate the available options in the dropdown menu and choose Sender Domain. Type the desired domain in the search box below and select it from the displayed results.
- Select the action you wish to apply to emails coming from this domain (or domains), such as moving them to the Trash folder.
- Toggle the switch below to apply this rule to existing messages in your inbox.
- Finally, click Create Rule to confirm.
3. Block the sender from Gmail settings
If you can't find an email from that person, here's how to block emails on Gmail by going into your Gmail settings:
- Open the Gmail settings and choose See all settings option.
- Then, go to the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab. Select Create a new filter.
- Enter the address you want to be blocked in the From field. Select Search.
- Gmail searches your messages and displays those that match your search parameters.
- Open a message, then select More and choose Block "sender's name" from the menu.
- When asked to confirm, select Block.
4. How to block a sender without opening an email on desktop
When blocking spam messages in Gmail, you must be careful not to open them since they can pose a risk. Here’s how to block a sender without opening their emails:
- Hover your cursor over the sender’s name. Gmail will display a card with their information, allowing you to copy the email address.
- Click the button on the right of the search bar to show search options.
- Paste the copied email address into the From field and press the Search button.
- Select all emails from this sender and click the Report spam (exclamation mark) icon.
💡 Note: Since blocking an email address in your Gmail account causes Google to send all future emails from that address to your Spam folder, the method described above for marking emails as spam is essentially the same as blocking the sender.
If you also want to delete emails from that sender automatically, after pasting the email into the search bar, click Create filter, then choose Delete it and Also apply filter to matching conversations, and finally, click Create filter again.
As noted above, it takes quite a few steps just to block one sender in Gmail. And that’s for one sender alone. You’ll have to repeat the tedious process every time you want to block someone on Gmail.
Clean Email’s Sender Settings make the process faster and simpler. This feature can help you maintain a clean account automatically. Sender Settings lets you control the delivery of messages for each sender in your inbox. You can Block or Mutea sender.
Choosing Block means Clean Email will automatically move the sender’s future messages to the Trash. The Mute option will direct future messages to your inbox, but they will be automatically marked as Read.
If you leave the Move Messages to Trash option on, all the sender’s old messages will go to the trash. If you turn it off, only future messages from the sender will be trashed automatically.
5. Block emails by size or attachment
Blocking emails on Gmail based on the sender's address isn't the only way to send messages to the Spam folder. When creating the block filter, you have two more options:
- To stop messages of a specific size, go to the Size field, enter a file size, and choose whether to look for messages that are greater than or less than the specified size.
- To stop messages that have attachments, select the Has Attachment checkbox.
- Then, block those emails as described in methods 3 or 4.
How to Block Emails on Gmail on a Mobile Device
There's only one way to block email on Gmail using the Gmail mobile app, and that's from an open message. So, you can't stop messages of a specified size or those with attachments.
Block by the sender without opening an email using Clean Email
Opening a spam email is a security risk. It might have a harmful link or an attachment that could steal your information or infect your device. Sadly, in the Gmail app, you can only block senders after opening their emails, not before.
However, the Clean Email mobile app offers more options. It has a Senders tool that lets you block any sender easily. The Senders page shows all senders who've emailed you, with each sender having their own record and settings.
Here's how to block on Gmail using Clean Email:
- Sign in to your app’s account and go to your Inbox.
- Choose and open the message from the person you want to stop from emailing you.
- Click Block under the Sender Settings section in the top right corner.
- In the dialog box, select the option to Move existing messages to Trash if desired, and click Confirm.
💡 Discover how to block email on iPhone and how to block emails on Android quickly and efficiently.
Block someone from emailing you on iPhone and Android
The steps to block email on the Gmail mobile apps for iPhone and Android are similar to blocking email on a computer. Here's how to block an email address in Gmail using the mobile app:
- Open a message from the sender you want to stop.
- Select More (the three vertical dots next to the Reply button) and choose Block "sender's name" from the menu.
- If you selected the wrong message and blocked the wrong person, tap Unblock Sender in the warning dialog box that appears above the message.
Block All Unknown Senders with Clean Email
Gmail doesn’t have a built-in feature that automatically blocks unknown senders and sends them to a separate folder. Clean Email provides a solution with its Screener feature.
Screener intercepts all messages from new senders (or those sending an email to your address for the first time) and keeps them isolated until you can review them. Isolation helps protect against phishing by making sure only emails from trusted sources get to you.
When you receive a new message, it will be directed to the Screener first rather than your primary inbox. This way, you’ll be able to review the sender's information and content before deciding if you want to:
- Allow: If you find the email to be acceptable or from a known source, you can Allow the message. Once you do, the sender is automatically added to your contact list. All future messages will be sent to your inbox, bypassing the Screener.
- Block: If you find the email spammy or you want to stop receiving emails from someone, then Block the sender. Future emails will be automatically directed to Trash. Alternatively, you can choose to Unsubscribe.
You can also direct messages on the Screener to Deliver to ‘Read Later,’ Deliver to Folder, or Pause the subscription.
While you can’t automatically block unknown senders on Gmail, Clean Email’s Screener can help you take better control of your inbox. You can opt to be notified about the isolated messages pending review.
Best of all, you can preview these screened messages without actually opening them in Gmail, helping you avoid potential spam threats.
Unsubscribe From Newsletters and Other Mailing Lists
If your inbox is full of emails from a mailing list you no longer read, unsubscribe from mass emails on Gmail instead of blocking them to keep your inbox clean.
Unsubscribe from newsletters on the desktop
To use Gmail to mass unsubscribe from emails, open a message from a list you no longer want to receive emails from. Then, next to the sender's name, click Unsubscribe. This change does not take place immediately. It may be a few days before the emails stop.
Unsubscribe with unfailing results using Clean Email
Clean Email’s Unsubscriber tool stops marketing emails and newsletters from filling up your inbox. With just a few clicks, you can unsubscribe from multiple senders or domains all at once if you like.
Once you unsubscribe, Clean Email ensures that you won't get any more emails from that sender, even if they ignore your request.
Unsubscribe from mass marketing emails on a mobile device
When using your phone or tablet, you can quickly remove your name from the sender's mailing list. Here's how to mass unsubscribe from email on Gmail using the mobile app:
- Open an email from the mailing list from which you want to unsubscribe.
- At the top of the email, tap the blue Unsubscribe link.
Report Spam and Phishing
If blocking someone on Gmail isn't enough to keep those annoying messages out of your inbox, you can also report spam and phishing email messages to Google.
Report spam on the desktop
When you report these messages, they are moved to your Spam folder, and an email is sent to Google. Google uses the information in your report to block spam and phishing mail for other Gmail users.
Here's how to file a report:
- Log in to your Gmail account.
- Open the spam or phishing message.
- If it is a spam email, click the exclamation mark icon in the toolbar and select Report spam in the pop-up menu that appears.
- If it is a phishing email, click the three vertical dots in the upper-right corner of the message window and select Report Phishing. Then, select Report Phishing Message.
Report spam on iPhone, iPad, and Android
It's also fast and easy to report spam messages from the Gmail mobile app.
- Select or open the message.
- Tap More (the three horizontal dots).
- Tap Report Spam.
After that, the email from that address goes to your Spam folder.
If you receive a phishing email that asks for personal information, you should move to the desktop version of Gmail and Report Phishing. Unfortunately, you can do that only on the desktop, as this functionality is unavailable on mobile devices.
Protect my Gmail ✨
Signing up for mailing lists and newsletters can result in the sale of your email address to third parties, leading to unsolicited emails that may contain malware or attempts to obtain personal information.
Gmail automatically warns you when it finds untrustworthy messages and moves them to the Spam folder. It also alerts you when you attempt to download attachments that may contain a virus or other suspicious files, or when you click links that lead to unsafe websites.
For enhanced security protection, you can use the Clean Email’s Screener feature. With Screener enabled, all emails coming from new (unknown) senders are quarantined for your review instead of being delivered to your inbox. Then, you can easily review all the messages in quarantine and decide whether to accept these senders or block them.
Conclusion
Blocking unwanted emails from reaching your inbox is a quick and straightforward way to declutter your inbox and stay organized. Now, when you know how to block someone on Gmail, you can stop newsletters you no longer read, unsolicited emails containing harmful links or attachments, and messages from people you don't want to associate with.
The Clean Email app is a great inbox management solution not only to block multiple senders but also to keep your inbox decluttered and organized. With the app’s Unsubscriber, Screener, and Auto Clean features, you won’t need to perform routine email tasks manually anymore.
Follow our other guides on how to block email on Mac and how to stop unwanted emails in Gmail.
How to Block Emails on Gmail – FAQs
How do I block emails on Gmail?
To block email on Gmail, open the unwanted message, then click on the three dots next to the reply button and select Block "sender's name". This will automatically send any future emails from that sender directly to your Spam folder.
Can you block someone on Gmail permanently?
Yes, you can permanently block a specific email address on Gmail. However, a persistent sender may simply switch addresses and continue spamming. To tackle this, it's often more effective to block the entire domain, which can be efficiently done using tools like Clean Email.
How to block spam emails on Gmail?
To block spam emails on Gmail, open the spam message, click on the three dots next to the reply button, and select Report spam. This trains Gmail's algorithm to identify similar future messages as spam. For better protection, use Clean Email’s Screener to stop persistent spam and Auto Clean to block entire domains.
Why am I still getting emails from blocked senders on Gmail?
One reason you may still get emails from someone you blocked on Gmail is that the sender changed their email address. Another reason is that the sender used email spoofing to hide their actual email address.
How do you block emails on Gmail without opening them?
In Gmail, on the list of all emails, hover your cursor over the sender’s name. Gmail will show a card with their information, and you can copy the email address from there. Then set a filter to block emails from that address in Settings. Also, using tools like Clean Email, you can automate this process and block emails without having to open them.
How to block an email address in Gmail without an email?
You cannot block an address directly through Gmail's interface without a specific email. However, you can create a filter in Gmail settings that automatically discards or sends to spam any future emails from a particular address.
