Buzz
Email is a fantastic communication tool, but what happens if you accidentally share your email address with the wrong person? SPAM. To address this issue, most email providers allow users to filter and block messages from specific senders. If you're tired of your inbox being flooded with unwanted messages, follow the steps below to block those email addresses.
Steps
For Gmail
Click on the Gear icon and select Settings. Gmail doesn’t have a traditional Block option. Instead, it creates a filter that automatically sends messages from unwanted senders to the Trash.
- You can also use email-blocking extensions available for Google Chrome and Firefox. Some extensions require payment after the trial period ends, but they offer more effective email blocking. Check the features and user reviews before installing if you prefer a simpler method to block Gmail.
Click on the Filters tab. Select the link “Create a new filter” at the bottom of the page. You may need to scroll down to find this option.
- You can create a filter from any email. Open the email and click the More button above the message. Then, choose Filter messages like these from the dropdown menu.
Enter the filter settings. Gmail filters are highly versatile. You can input one or multiple addresses, separated by commas, or entire domains by adding the part after the “@” symbol in the email address. Once done, select "Create filter with this search."
Choose the actions you want to apply to the messages by checking the corresponding boxes. Check “Mark as read” and “Delete it” to ensure these emails skip your inbox and go straight to the trash. Once completed, click Create filter, and any emails from the blocked sender will be sent directly to the trash.
- Check the box Apply filter to matching conversations to remove all previous messages from the sender in your inbox.
For Yahoo! Mail
Log in to your Yahoo! account. Enter your Yahoo! username and password.
On the Yahoo! homepage, select the Mail option. This action will open your Yahoo! Mail account.
Click on the gear icon located at the top-right corner of the screen. Choose Settings from the dropdown menu.
Select the "Blocked Addresses" option. Enter the email address you wish to block and then click the Block button.
- Tip: You can block up to 500 email addresses in one account. All messages from these addresses will be instantly deleted and will not be returned to the sender due to delivery failure.
- You can block entire domains by entering the domain name into the filter. This method is particularly useful if you keep receiving spam from multiple users sharing the same domain. The domain is the part of the address following the “@” symbol.
- To remove an address from the block list, highlight the address and click the Remove button.
For Outlook.com
Click on the Settings button. The gear icon is located at the top-right corner of the Outlook.com window. Select “More mail settings.”
Click on the "Safe and blocked senders" link. This link is located under the "Preventing junk mail" section.
Click on the "Blocked senders" link. A new page will appear, prompting you to enter specific email addresses you want to block.
For iCloud Mail
Log in to your iCloud account.
Select Mail from the main menu.
Select the Settings button. The gear icon is located at the bottom-left corner of the iCloud window. Choose “Rules.”
Click on the “Add a Rule” link.
Enter the email address you want to block. Pro tip: input a website domain (the part after the “@” symbol in the address, e.g., Facebook.com) to block all email addresses using that domain.
Select “Move to Trash.” All messages from blocked users will automatically be sent to the Trash and will no longer appear in your Inbox.
Click “Done” to save the rule. You can now add more rules as needed.
How to delete a rule: Click on the (i) dialog box on the right side of the rules panel. This opens the Edit menu. Press Delete to remove the rule.
For Outlook Express
Select an email address you want to block. Make sure to click on the address to highlight it.
Right-click on the sender’s message header. A menu will then appear.
Move the cursor to the "Junk E-mail" option. Choose "Add Sender to Blocked Senders List."
- This action blocks all messages from users on the list, depending on whether you select "Yes" or "No" when prompted.
For Mozilla Thunderbird
Select a message from the user you want to block. Right-click on their address in the header of the email, then choose “Create Filter From” in the menu.
- The filter adjustment panel will appear with the user’s name pre-filled.
Name the filter. When the filter adjustment panel appears, you can name the filter “Block List” for easy reference in the future.
Set the filter to “Match any of the following.” This allows the filter to work when you add multiple email addresses to the list.
Change the action to "Delete Message." You can find this option under "Perform these actions" in the filter window. Click OK to save the filter. All messages from that address will be instantly deleted.
Add more addresses. If you want to expand your block list, click on the "Tools" menu and select "Message Filters." Choose the "Block List" filter and then click the "+" icon. Add email addresses or domains.
Tips
- If you use a personal domain with an email service, you’ll need to contact your provider to determine the best way to block email addresses.
