Your Gmail inbox is meant to be your productivity nest. Messages, notifications, and documents flow in neatly organized order there. However, your inbox becomes a battleground occasionally. Spam, promotional messages that are not wanted, obnoxious forwards, and unwelcome messages hijack your time and attention.
The best part? Gmail gives you the power. Ever asked yourself, “How do I block an email on Gmail?” read on.
Gmail blocking emails is how you get your inbox back. You no longer need to endure emails from harassers, spammers, or just plain pesky marketers. With the right settings and tools, you can block certain email addresses, all domains, and even custom patterns.
Here, you’ll learn how to block emails in Gmail. Also how to unblock them, what happens behind the scenes, how to set up auto-deletes and filters, and tips for managing annoying or dangerous senders permanently.
Can You Block an Email on Gmail?
Yes, Google’s Gmail can block email addresses and forward their future emails straight to Spam, and filter and delete messages from entire domains.
This is a built-in feature and both the Gmail web and mobile clients have it.
When you block someone on Gmail:
- Their emails will not appear in your inbox
- You won’t be alerted when they email you
- Their email will go to Spam
- You can reverse it anytime
- They won’t have any clue you blocked them
Blocking is best for:
- Spam or spammy emails
- Annoying forwards
- Toxic exes
- Tough clients
- Unsolicited newsletters
- People you do not want to talk to
How to Block an Email Address in Gmail (Desktop)
Here’s how to block someone from emailing you through Gmail in a web browser:
Open Gmail
- Open mail.google.com and sign in to your account
Open the email of the sender whom you would like to block
- Go to Inbox or in any folder
- Select the person’s message whom you want to block
Click on the three vertical dots at the top right-hand side of the message
- In the window to read mails, there will be three dots to the left of the Reply arrow
- Click to open the menu of options
Press “Block [Sender’s Name]”
- Press Block
- They will have a pop-up box confirming that they are blocked
- All their incoming emails will go into Spam
Done.
How to Block an Email on Gmail (Mobile App)
You can block emails through the Gmail mobile app (Android and iOS) just as well too.
Steps:
- Open the Gmail app on your phone
- Press the sender’s email whom you wish to block
- Tap the three-dot menu at the top-right of the message
- Select Block [Sender Name] from the dropdown
- You’ll see a confirmation that future messages will be sent to Spam
This works even if you’re using Gmail’s mobile interface or mobile web browser.
How to Unblock Someone in Gmail
Blocked someone by mistake? Want to restore their messages?
Steps to unblock:
- Open Gmail on desktop
- Click the gear icon → See All Settings
- Go to the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab
- Scroll down to the Blocked Addresses list
- Click Unblock next to the email that you wish to unblock
- Gmail will also restore their emails back to your inbox
You can also try to open any of the blocked senders’ mail and click on the three dots again and then click Unblock [Sender Name]
What Does Blocking Someone on Gmail Do
Let us walk through exactly what will occur if you block a sender:
- You will not receive their emails in your Inbox
- They are automatically directed to the Spam folder
- They will not be notified whatsoever that they are being blocked
- They will still be able to view their previous emails in your inbox or archive
- Gmail’s algorithm learns them as spam
It’s a back-end operation. The sender will never even have an inkling their e-mails are coming in another way, aside from that they request a read receipt or that they follow up.
Difference Between Block, Spam and Mute in Gmail
The greatest distinction between Gmail actions is clear.
- Block – Future mail from the sender will be delivered to Spam
- Report Spam – Mark the message as spam and it will be sent to Spam
- Mute – Silences an email thread and you won’t see it in your inbox, replies will still be received
- Use “Block” if you want to block all future emails from a given sender
- Use “Mute” if you want to quiet a thread that is not going away but don’t want to block the sender
- Use “Report Spam” for spam, spammy message, or malware
How to Automatically Delete a Person’s Emails in Gmail
How about going a step ahead? Gmail also provides the option to auto-delete emails from a specific sender rather than sending it to Spam.
Follow these steps:
- Click on gear icon → See All Settings
- Select Filters and Blocked Addresses tab
- Click Create a new filter
- In the “From” field, enter the email address you want to auto-delete
- Click Create filter
- Select Delete it
- Click Create filter again to proceed
Gmail will automatically delete messages from the sender without forwarding them to your inbox or spam.
How to Block a Domain in Gmail
Sometimes spam emails are not from one email address but from multiple addresses belonging to the same domain. One can block domains in Gmail through filters.
Steps
- Go to Gmail Settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses
- Click on Create a new filter
- In the “From” field, type in: @annoyingsite.com
- Click on Create filter
- Choose Delete it or Skip Inbox
- Click on Create filter
The message of the domain will now be removed or suppressed, even when the address is typed precisely.
Blocking Multiple Emails at Once in Gmail
You cannot block multiple senders automatically at once by just clicking once, but you can utilize filters to do all this.
Steps
- Create a filter from various addresses separated with OR
- In the “From” field, enter:
- [email protected] OR [email protected] OR [email protected]
- Click Create filter
- Choose Delete it or Skip Inbox
- Create the filter
This silences all addresses in one rule.
How to Block Gmail Notifications without Blocking the Sender
Occasionally you might want to get mail but block the annoying popups.
Solution:
- Go to Gmail
- Click Settings
- Click See all settings > General > Desktop notifications
- Click Mail notifications off
You can also mute some threads if you get too many follow-ups:
- Open the thread
- Tap the three-dot menu
- Tap Mute
The message is archived. It will not appear in your inbox anymore.
How to Block Email in Google Workspace
If you are using Gmail through Google Workspace:
- Individual senders can still be blocked as before
- But org-wide blocks are only available to admins now
- Admins can block senders using the Google Admin Console
- Blocked mail can be forwarded elsewhere, bounced
- or quarantined
Have your administrator block senders company-wide if needed.
How to Deal with Chronic Spammers or Cycling Addresses
Certain spammers cycle addresses in a bid to try to avoid blocks. You can still prevail with smart filters.
Choices are:
- Block the domain as opposed to the full address
- Filter by subject line or most common keywords
- Report phishing with Gmail
- Employ a tool like Clean Email or Mailstrom for bulk management
- Unsubscribe using Gmail’s own unsubscribe link (top-right of promotion emails)
Don’t reply to spam either, that gives the spammer a way of deciding if your address is live or not.
Can You Block Someone on Gmail Without Opening the Email?
Desktop:
- Yes. Check the box to the right of the message
- Click the three-dot icon on the toolbar
- Click Block: [Sender]
Mobile:
- No shortcut, you’ll have to open the message first
How to Report an Email Scam or Phishing in Gmail
Block is great, but also reports the email scam or phishing.
Steps:
- Open the email
- Tap three-dot menu at top-right
- Tap Report phishing
- Gmail will be notified and may take action against the sender
If there are attachments or login links in the email, don’t tap anything initially before reporting.
How to View Blocked Senders in Gmail
To view all blocked emails:
- Go to Settings > Blocked Addresses and Filters
- Scroll down the Blocked Addresses list
- Unblock or edit them from this list
This will prove useful in case you accidentally blocked someone or you want to delete your list.
FAQs
Will the person you blocked know anything that you blocked him/her?
No. Gmail does not notify the sender.
Can you block someone through the Gmail mobile application?
Yes. Open the message, tap the three-dot menu, and select “Block.”
Will I keep getting emails from someone I’ve blocked?
Yes, in the Spam folder.
Can messages blocked and deleted by filters be recovered?
Only if in Trash or Spam. Deleted forever, they’re gone.
Can you block someone and still send them emails?
Yes. Blocking is only for incoming mail.
Can I block Gmail from the IP of one country or all of one country’s IP’s?
No, not from Gmail. You would need to employ third-party mail firewall services.
Will the block carry over to my Google Chat or Meet?
No. Blocking is mail only. You would block Standalone on Chat/Meet.
Will calendar invitations be blocked in Gmail?
Yes. Google Calendar settings > Event settings > Automatically add invitations → No.
Can blocked mail be forwarded to someone else?
Yes. You can forward from the Spam folder if necessary.
Mastering Email Blocking in Gmail Tips
- Use filters for more control
- Don’t block spammy-looking mail, this will confirm your address to spammers
- Scan through your Spam folder occasionally for stray mail
- Temporarily block pesky senders with labels before blocking
- Use domain blocks with subject filters to give added protection
- Mark spammy mail as spam so the Gmail community remains safe
- Sync your Gmail filters with Clean Email or Unroll.me for added automation
Your Gmail inbox is there for you, not vice versa. Blocking email in Gmail is more than just a cyber “mute” feature; it’s your ultimate defense against spam, stress, and email overload.
Now that you’ve learned how to block an email in Gmail, how to unblock, how to auto-delete, how to filter by pattern or domain, and how to protect yourself from spam and phishing—you’re ready to take back your inbox.
Put your new abilities into action today. So, next time you get a message you don’t want, don’t get frustrated. Just block it, filter it, or auto-delete it.
Your inbox has to be clean, quiet, and concentrated. Made possible due to the blocking facility of Gmail.
