Junk emails shouldn’t get in the way of a clean inbox, but sometimes spam filters fail and messages you definitely don’t want to see start showing up in your inbox. here we explain how to prevent these messages from appearing next to things you really want to read, either by blocking them or by setting up simple rules. we have covered this for gmail, outlook, yahoo and icloud. scroll down to find the corresponding tutorial.
do you want to block sms, calls and whatsapp? see our guide
how to block emails in gmail
website
To block emails on the gmail website, open the email you want to block and click the down arrow next to the reply button at the top right of the email. click ‘block [name]’ and then in the window that appears, click block. Please note that these emails will be filed as spam, so you will still be able to see them if you check your spam folder regularly.
If you want to automatically delete emails from a particular sender, you can. open the email and click the down arrow next to the reply button at the top right of the email and select ‘filter messages like this’. in the box that appears, click ‘create filter with this search’ at the bottom right, then select ‘skip inbox (archive it)’. the email will still exist, but you won’t be able to find it easily. alternatively, select ‘delete it’ and the email will be moved to your deleted items folder and permanently deleted after 30 days.
ios and android
Currently there is no way to block a sender from the gmail app for ios or android. You can report an individual message as spam, but that doesn’t mean the sender will be automatically blocked. See the gmail website for instructions on how to block senders.
You can mute email conversations by tapping the down arrow (three-dot button on android) at the top right of the message and then tapping mute. this will move a thread out of your inbox. you can still find it by searching for ‘is:muted’ in the search box.
how to block emails in outlook.com, hotmail, live mail
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To block a sender from the web version of outlook, select the message and click the actions button at the top right of the message. they select ‘create rule’. by default, the rule will be set to delete all messages from that sender. the message will automatically be placed in your deleted folder without accessing your inbox.
windows 10 app
There is currently no way to automatically filter emails from the windows 10 app, you’ll need to use the web instructions above.
office perspective
If you have the full desktop version of the outlook mail client, blocking a sender is easy. right-click the message you want and select spam>block sender.
If you don’t even want to see this email in your spam folder, you can create a sender rule. select the email and go to the home tab. select rules> create rule. check the box next to the name of the sender you want to block, and then check the box below “move item to folder.” select your deleted items folder and click ok, then click ok again. all incoming emails from the sender you’ve chosen will go directly to your deleted items folder.
ios and android
Currently you can’t set rules in the ios or android versions of outlook, but rules you set through the outlook web interface or app will apply.
how to block emails in yahoo mail
website
on the web, click an email from the sender you want to block. click the three dots at the bottom of the email and select block. Press ok, leaving both boxes checked. this will send future emails from this sender to your spam folder.
or click the plus button at the top of the email and select ‘filter emails like this’. In the box that appears, click the dropdown list next to ‘Then move the message to this folder’ and select Trash. then click ‘save’. this will send all emails from the sender to the trash.
ios and android
You can’t set rules from the ios or android versions of yahoo mail, but they will adhere to any rules you’ve set through the web version.
how to block emails in ios mail app
You can’t block emails in the ios mail app unless you’re using icloud mail. this can be done by creating a rule. go to icloud.com and click mail. click the gear icon at the bottom left and click ‘add a rule’. under ‘if it’s a message’, make sure the top box says ‘is from’, then type the address you want to block in the box below. in the ‘then’ section, click the dropdown list and select ‘move to trash’. For all other email providers, you’ll need to set up your rules with them (like the instructions for gmail and outlook above).
android email app
You may be able to do this depending on the brand and age of your phone; Different phone manufacturers ship their phones with slightly different email clients, so their features will vary a lot. therefore it is best to block emails with your email provider (as described above with gmail and outlook). this will apply your block rule before the email reaches your phone.