Blocking stops emails from reaching your inbox
When you block an email address in Gmail, messages from that sender go straight to spam. You won't see notifications, and the sender won't know they've been blocked — Gmail doesn't tell them. The blocked address stays blocked until you unblock it, which you can do at any time.
Blocking is different from unsubscribing. Unsubscribe removes you from a mailing list (usually newsletters or marketing). Blocking prevents all mail from a specific person or address from ever reaching your inbox, whether they send one message or a hundred.
Key Takeaways
- Open any email from the sender you want to block, click the three-dot menu, and select "Block [sender]" — the whole process takes five seconds.
- Blocked emails go to spam automatically; you can still see them there if you need to, but Gmail won't notify you about them.
- You can block multiple addresses from the same person if they use different email accounts.
- Unblock a sender anytime by going to Settings, finding their address in the Blocked addresses list, and clicking Unblock.
- Blocking works on Gmail's website, phone app, and tablet app the same way.
How to block an email address right now
Open Gmail and find any email from the person you want to block. Click the three-dot menu icon in the top right of the email (on a phone, swipe left on the message first). Select "Block [sender name]" from the dropdown menu. Gmail will ask you to confirm — click Block again.
That's it. From that moment on, every email from that address goes to your spam folder. If the sender emails you again, you won't get a notification. The message will sit in spam until Gmail's automatic cleanup deletes it (usually after 30 days), or you can delete it yourself.
If the person uses multiple email addresses, you'll need to block each one separately. There's no way to block an entire domain (like all addresses ending in @example.com) through Gmail's block feature, though you can create a filter to do that if you need to.
Where blocked emails go and how to find them
Blocked emails land in your spam folder, not a separate "blocked" folder. You can still read them if you need to — go to the Spam label in the left sidebar and search for the sender's name. This is useful if you blocked someone by mistake and need to check what they sent.
Gmail keeps spam for 30 days, then deletes it automatically. If you want to delete blocked emails sooner, open the spam folder, find the messages, and delete them yourself.
Unblocking an address if you change your mind
Go to Gmail Settings (click the gear icon in the top right, then "See all settings"). Click the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab. Scroll down to the "Blocked addresses" section — you'll see a list of everyone you've blocked. Find the address you want to unblock and click the Unblock button next to it.
Once you unblock someone, their future emails will go to your inbox normally again. Unblocking doesn't recover old emails they sent while they were blocked — those stay in spam unless you move them back yourself.
The difference between blocking, filtering, and reporting spam
Blocking sends all mail from one address to spam. Filtering lets you create custom rules — you can send certain emails to a label, delete them automatically, or mark them as read without reading them. Reporting spam tells Gmail the message is unwanted and helps train Gmail's spam detection for everyone.
If you're getting unwanted mail from a business or service you signed up for, unsubscribe first (look for the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email). If there's no unsubscribe link or it doesn't work, then block. If the email looks like a scam or phishing attempt, report it as spam before blocking — this helps protect other Gmail users.
Blocking doesn't prevent someone from knowing your email exists
Blocking stops their emails from reaching you, but it doesn't hide your address from them or tell them they're blocked. If someone is harassing you and you're concerned they'll keep trying to contact you through other means, blocking Gmail alone won't solve that problem. Consider whether you need to take other steps, like blocking them on other platforms or reporting the behavior to a platform moderator or law enforcement.
Gmail also doesn't notify you when someone tries to email you after you've blocked them. The message goes to spam silently. If you're worried about ongoing contact, check your spam folder occasionally, or consider whether you need to involve someone else (a manager, school administrator, or police) depending on the situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the person I blocked tell that I blocked them?
No. Gmail doesn't send a notification to blocked senders. Their email straightforward goes to spam, and they have no way to know whether you blocked them, marked them as spam, or just didn't read their message. They won't get a bounce-back or any other signal.
What happens to emails I blocked before I unblock someone?
Emails that arrived while someone was blocked stay in your spam folder. Unblocking them doesn't move those old messages back to your inbox. You can move them manually if you want to read them, or leave them in spam and let Gmail delete them after 30 days.
Can I block an entire email domain instead of just one address?
Gmail's block feature only works on individual addresses. To block all mail from a domain (like everyone at example.com), you'd need to create a filter in Settings instead. Go to Filters and Blocked Addresses, click "Create a new filter", enter the domain in the "From" field, and choose to delete or skip the inbox.
If I block someone on Gmail, are they blocked on other Google services?
No. Blocking in Gmail only affects Gmail. If you want to block someone on YouTube, Google Meet, Google Chat, or other Google services, you'll need to block them separately in each one. Each service has its own block list.
Can I block emails by subject line or content instead of sender?
No, but you can create a filter. In Settings, go to Filters and Blocked Addresses and click "Create a new filter". Enter a word or phrase in the "Has the words" field, then choose to delete, skip the inbox, or explore a label to matching emails. This catches messages with certain keywords regardless of who sends them.