How to Block or Unblock an Email Address: Easy Guide

Simple Ways to Block or Unblock an Email Address on Gmail, Outlook & More

You might want to block an email address to stop spam, phishing, promotions, or unwanted messages from a particular sender, prevent harassment or unneeded communication, or declutter your inbox and improve focus. Blocking an email address prevents future messages from reaching your inbox or automatically reroutes them, although it may not delete existing emails depending on the service. 

By blocking, you can avoid unwanted emails, and if you change your mind, unblocking restores the chance that messages from that address will land in your inbox again.

How to Block an Email Address — Step by Step (Popular Services)

Below are instructions for blocking in Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, and general webmail.

Gmail (Web/Desktop & Mobile)

Open Gmail and find a message from the sender you want to block.
Click the three vertical dots (More menu) in the top right corner of the message.
Click “Block [Sender Name]”. After this, future emails from that address will be sent to Spam.
 

To unblock:

Open a message from the blocked sender.
Click the three vertical dots at the top.
Choose “Unblock [Sender Name]”.
To manage or review blocked senders:
Go to Settings → See all settings → Filters and Blocked Addresses.
From there, you can unblock addresses or remove filters.
 

Outlook (Web & Desktop)

Outlook Web / Online

Log in to Outlook (Outlook.com or Microsoft web client).
Open an email from the sender you want to block.
Click the three dots (More options) and choose Block → Block [sender address].
You can also go to Settings → Mail → Junk Email → Blocked Senders and Domains and add addresses or domains manually.

Outlook Desktop (Windows)

Select an email from the sender you want to block.
On the Home tab, click Junk → Block Sender.
To manage or remove blocked senders: Go to Junk E-mail Options → Blocked Senders tab. You can add or remove addresses there. 
 

Yahoo Mail

Log in to Yahoo Mail.
Go to Settings → More Settings → Security and Privacy.
Under Blocked addresses, click Add, enter the email address you want to block, and click Save.
 

To unblock:

Go back to Blocked addresses and click the trash icon or remove the address.

Other Webmail & ISP Mail (General Method)

Many webmail or ISP email providers offer a Blocked Senders, Spam filters, or Security / Privacy section:

Log into your email account.
Open settings or preferences.
Find Blocked addresses / Spam settings / Security & privacy.
Add the address or domain you want to block, save.
To unblock, remove or delete the address from the block list.
As an example, AT&T’s email service lets you open More Settings → Security and privacy, then click +Add to block and trash icon to unblock.

Tips, Caveats & Best Practices

When blocking an email address, keep in mind that it won't always delete old emails from your inbox, as they might still be lurking in your spam folder or archives. Be cautious when blocking an entire domain, as it'll stop all addresses from that domain, not just the specific sender. 

If you need more control, consider using filters, like in Gmail, to automatically delete emails from a particular sender. Also, note that blocked senders typically won't be notified, but they might catch on if you stop responding. If you change your mind, unblocking will allow new messages from that address to arrive, unless other filters or spam settings kick in.

Be careful with “Unsubscribe” links in spam: In some malicious emails, “unsubscribe” links are phishing traps. It’s safer to block or report as spam rather than clicking unknown links.