How to Block Someone in Gmail

Sick of seeing a certain person’s emails (and having to delete them)? Find out here how to block an email address on Gmail (or a sender by name) and have Gmail make sure you do not get to see these spam emails again.

First, Block-Headed Ants

When you are an ant of the right kind, you need no doors to your premises. They’re all in your head.

On Borneo’s spacious island, the Colobopsis explodens ants’ “doorkeepers” have large, block-shaped heads which they use to block intruders.

Before we talk about the ants’ curious name, do you have in mind and head to block a sender from your inbox? Put Gmail’s industrious ants to work; it’s easy:

How to Block Someone in Gmail

Also: How to Mark Email as Spam in Gmail

Block Someone by Email Address in Gmail

To block somebody’s email address using the Gmail app for Android:

1. Open the Gmail app.
2. Now open a message from the sender you want to block.
3. Tap More ⠸.
4. Now tap Block “Name”.

Just delete: How to Delete All Emails from a Sender in Gmail

Block Someone by Name in Gmail

You can also block a sender’s name in Gmail; to have all emails that come from a sender with a particular name sent to the Gmail Trash automatically:

1. Open Gmail in a desktop browser.
2. Click Show search options in the Gmail search field.
3. Enter the sender’s name under From surrounded by quotation marks (“).
   No auto-completion: Do not allow Gmail to auto-complete the name, for this will enter the email address instead of the name.
   Example: To set up a Gmail filter for emails from Heinz Tschabitscher, type "Heinz Tschabitscher".
4. Click Create filter.
5. Make sure Delete it is checked under When a message arrives that matches this search:.
6. Click Create filter again.

How to Block Emails by Size or Emails Including Attachments

To have Gmail automatically delete emails that exceed a certain size:

1. Go to Gmail in desktop browser.
2. Click Show search options in Gmail’s search field.
3. Choose greater than under Size.
4. Pick a unit for measuring message size: MB, KB or Bytes.
5. Enter the maximum size for messages allowed.
   Which size to pick: To block large emails in general but not simple PDF files, for instance, choose something like 1500 KB.
   Block attachments: Instead of choosing a maximum message size, you can also block all emails with attachments at Gmail: check Has attachment.
6. Click Create filter.
7. Check Delete it under When a message arrives that matches this search:.
8. Click Create filter.

How to Block Someone in Gmail: FAQ

What happens to blocked emails?

Where emails from someone you have blocked go in Gmail depends on the type of blocking:

• Messages from email addresses on the blocked senders list go straight to the Spam folder.
• Messages from senders blocked by name (using a filter) are sent to the Trash folder.

Are senders notified their email was blocked in Gmail?

No.

All Gmail does is silently but automatically move incoming emails to the Spam or Trash folders. Senders are not notified that their messages (or they) have been blocked.

Can I unblock someone on Gmail?

Yes.

Removing someone from your list of blocked senders is just as easy in Gmail as blocking them was.

Can I block someone on Gmail using the Gmail app for iOS?

No.

The Gmail app for iOS does not currently support blocking senders. You can open the Gmail desktop version in a mobile browser, though, and use it to block senders.

Can I block someone on Gmail using Simple HTML Gmail?

Partly.

Simple HTML Gmail does not offer access to the blocked senders list. You can, however, set up and edit filters.

To block somebody by name or email address using Simple HTML Gmail and have their emails sent to the Trash automatically:

1. Open Simple HTML Gmail.
2. Click Create a filter next to the Gmail search field.
3. Type the sender’s name or email address under From:.
4. Click Next Step.
5. Check Delete it under Choose action.
6. Click Create Filter.

(How to block someone on Gmail tested in a desktop browser; updated April 2024)