If your inbox is filled with emails you don't want to read, and you'd rather not see them at all, we have a step-by-step tutorial that shows how to block unwanted emails in Gmail. This will make sure that those messages won't show up in your inbox anymore.
Gmail terminology: Block vs. Report spam vs. Unsubscribe
Below are some Gmail features that help keep your inbox organized and secure. The following are the differences between each of them.
- Block: Block works on the sender level. If you block someone from sending you emails, any future emails you receive from them will be marked as spam and sent to a special folder where you can find all your spam emails.
- Report spam: Reporting spam works at the email level and affects the sender's email reputation. But you will still get their messages in your main inbox. If you label an email as spam, it will be moved to your spam folder automatically, and a copy will be sent to Google to identify similar spam messages in the future.
- Unsubscribe: You won't get any more emails from this person. This is to help you manage emails that keep coming that you don't want. But, it's not for getting rid of bad emails. When you unsubscribe, you can choose to not get certain kinds of emails or to stop getting all of their emails.
Please note that blocking, reporting spam, or unsubscribing only works for future emails. For the current and all previous unwanted emails, you can mass delete emails from your Gmail account.
How to block emails on Gmail on a computer
If you have experienced frequent emails from a sender even after requesting them to stop, you can block their messages on Gmail to prevent further correspondence.
Block works on the sender level. Any future emails you receive from a blocked sender will be automatically marked as spam and sent directly to your spam folder.
To automatically move their emails to your spam folder, do these steps:
1. Open an email from the person you want to block.
2. Click the three dots next to the reply button on the top right corner of the email. See screenshots below.
3. Click Block "[sender's name]" from the dropdown menu.
4. A pop-up box will show up. Click Block.
- Congratulations, you have successfully blocked the sender. From now on, all their messages will go to your spam folder.
- To move the current and previous messages from this sender to your spam folder, you will need to do it manually.
How to block emails on the Gmail mobile iOS and Android app
1. Open a message from an email sender you want to block.
2. Click the three dots next to the reply button on the top right corner of the email. See screenshots below.
3. Tap Block "[sender]".
4. You did it! You’ll never see emails from this annoying sender.
How to report spam and phishing on Gmail
If you report something as spam, it will go to your spam folder, but you might still get emails from the same person. To make sure you never see any of their messages in the future, you need to block them.
You can report spam using the Gmail mobile app, but you can only report phishing on a desktop Gmail app.
How to report spam on Gmail on a computer
1. Open a spam email.
2. Click the Report Spam icon (an octagon with an exclamation point).
3. The message will then be sent to your spam folder.
How to report spam on the Gmail mobile iOS and Android app
- Open a spam email.
- Tap the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner.
- Tap Report spam.
How to report phishing on Gmail
Spam is just stuff you don't want, but phishing is when someone online pretends to be someone you trust to trick you. If someone sends you an email pretending to be someone else, here's how to report it as phishing.
- Open an email that you think might be trying to trick you.
- Click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner of the email.
- Click Report phishing.
- In the popup window, click "Report Phishing Message".
How to unsubscribe from mass emails on Gmail
If you're like me, you may have signed up for lots of marketing emails in the past just to get a promo code, but then never actually bought anything from that company.
Now, instead of having to search for the tiny "unsubscribe" option at the bottom of the email, Gmail makes it easy to unsubscribe right from the top of the message.
Note that unsubscribing is not the same as blocking or reporting spam. You just don't want to receive these messages anymore, but you don't think they're harmful. This won't harm the email sender's reputation.
- Open an email from a sender you want to stop receiving messages from.
- Click on Unsubscribe next to the sender's name..
When you unsubscribe, you can choose to stop getting certain kinds of emails or all emails from this sender. Normally, when you "manage your preferences," you can unsubscribe from everything.
How to block someone on Gmail: FAQ
If you need help blocking someone in Gmail, check out these frequently asked questions. They'll show you how to keep unwanted people out of your inbox.
How do I unblock someone on Gmail?
Accidentally blocked your ex? Here's how to unblock someone on Gmail:
1. Click the Settings icon.
2. Click See all settings.
3. Click the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab.
4. Click Unblock next to the address(es) you want to unblock.
5. Click Unblock again to confirm.
Why am I still getting emails from blocked addresses on Gmail?
You may still be getting emails from blocked addresses if it's only been a few days since you blocked the address. It takes a few days to go into effect.
How do I mass delete emails from my Gmail account?
If you want to delete all of your emails in a certain Gmail account, follow these steps:
1. Check the box at the top of your inbox, to the left of the refresh button. This will select all the emails displayed on the first page.
2. Click the blue text that reads, Select all X conversations in Primary.
3. Click the delete button, which looks like a trash can.
4. To hide emails and still be able to access them, you can also click on the archive button (a folder with a down arrow).
To spend even less time in your inbox, you can use Bardeen’s Gmail integration to connect Gmail to your other apps and automate your gmail inbox with AI.
