Block emails

Blocking, spam filtering, and Gatekeeper aren't the same thing

Here's where people get confused, understandably. Your inbox already filters spam automatically, so why would you ever need to block someone yourself?

Because they're not the same job. A spam filter is always running, scanning every incoming message for patterns that look like junk. Blocking is manual and specific: you're saying "this one sender, don't show me their mail anymore," regardless of whether their messages look spammy or not. Maybe it's a former coworker who won't stop CCing you, or a newsletter that ignored your unsubscribe request three times already.

Blocking beats unsubscribing when the sender clearly isn't going to respect an unsubscribe link anyway. And it beats waiting on your spam filter to catch someone it's never flagged before. It's the direct option. Not automatic, not probabilistic, just done.

What actually happens once you block someone

Once you block a sender, their future messages get rerouted, usually straight to Spam or Junk, without ever hitting your primary inbox. Past messages from them typically stay put; blocking doesn't retroactively hide what's already arrived.

Gmail and Outlook both work this way: block address, future mail goes to spam, unblock any time by reversing the setting. Spark takes a slightly different approach with its Gatekeeper feature, which screens new senders the moment they first email you, letting you accept or block them before their message ever really "arrives" in your regular inbox at all. It's more proactive, though Gatekeeper is part of Spark's paid plans.

How to block a sender

In Gmail: 

1. Open the message from the sender you want to block.
2. Click "More" (the three-dot icon) next to Reply, near the top right.
3. Select "Block [sender name]." Google's block-sender documentation covers the mobile steps too.
4. All future messages from that address now go straight to Spam. 

In Outlook:

1. Right-click any message from the sender.
2. Select "Block," then "Block Sender." Microsoft's block or unblock senders guide walks through every Outlook version.
3. Alternatively, go to Settings > Mail > Junk email, and manually add their address under "Blocked senders." 

In Spark:

1. Open Spark's Gatekeeper feature via Settings > Inbox > Gatekeeper. (You can also view it on the top of the Inbox or inside the email, but only if the setting "on the top of the inbox" is selected, the New Sender section will be displayed.
2. Once it's on, every new sender gets screened the first time they email you. Choose "Accept" or "Block."
3. To block someone retroactively, open their email in the "New Senders" section and choose the Block option from the message toolbar.

Gatekeeper usually blocks specific email addresses, so a persistent sender switching addresses can still slip through. You can also block domains in Gatekeeper, but public domains and root domains cannot be blocked.

Gmail and Outlook block at the address level. If someone's determined enough to email you from a slightly different address (a numbered alias, a different domain entirely), the block doesn't follow them. 

Otherwise, domain-wide blocking exists in some business-grade tools, but it's not something personal Gmail or Outlook accounts offer, and it's a meaningfully different, heavier-handed tool than blocking one sender.

Blocking emails vs unsubscribing: knowing which one to reach for

If someone's mail keeps showing up uninvited, block the address rather than deleting each new copy one by one, since deleting does nothing to stop the next message from arriving. 

That said, it's worth trying to unsubscribe first for legitimate senders: if it's a real company's newsletter and not clearly spam, unsubscribing is usually faster and cleaner, so save blocking for senders who ignore that request. 

It's also worth reviewing your blocked list occasionally, since people change roles, companies rebrand, and addresses get reused, so a block that made sense two years ago might not anymore. And it's worth understanding the limits: blocking an address doesn't stop someone from emailing you from a different one, so if harassment or ongoing abuse is involved, blocking alone isn't enough, and reporting the sender through your provider directly is the better move. 

Finally, don't confuse a blocked sender with a resolved problem. Blocking stops the symptom, not necessarily the cause. If a vendor keeps CCing you on threads you shouldn't be part of, blocking their address is a quick fix, but a two-line reply asking to be removed from the thread is what actually solves it.

Related terms

• Spam filter
• Email blacklisting
• Phishing email
• Unsubscribe