How to Mark Email as Spam in Gmail

Mark Email as Spam in Gmail

Want to move an email to the spam folder, train Gmail to filter similar emails in the future and have the email deleted after a while automatically—all in one go? Find out here how to mark email as spam in Gmail using the web, the Gmail apps, or an email program.

First, Toast the Oatmeal and Whip the Cream

Toasted oatmeal, honey, whipped cream and freshly plucked raspberries: they’re all delicious individually.

Their separate delicacies pale compared to what makes the Scottish dessert (which began as breakfast cereal). The cream is flavored with honey and the oatmeal with, of course, whisky, then the whole shebang is draped in sheets into a tall glass. The delight even has a name pronounceable for people like me who cannot find their way around (or inside) Gaelic.

Now, from a food that comes in layers to one that often appears in slices—or in emails:

How to Mark Email as Spam in Gmail

In a Desktop Browser

Time needed: 1 minute

To mark an email (or multiple messages) as spam using Gmail in a desktop browser (to get the email out of your sight and further improve Gmail spam filtering):

  1. Open the message you want to mark as junk.

    Mark as spam without opening: You can also check an email in the message list, of course.
    Mass-mark as junk: To mark multiple emails in one go, check all messages in the message list; you can also use search to quickly select emails matching certain criteria; see below.

  2. Click the Report spam button in the toolbar.

    Gmail keyboard shortcut: You can also press ! (exclamation mark) to mark spam quickly in Gmail.
    Mark as spam in Gmail using the "Report spam" button

Got spam from Gmail? How to Report Spam from Gmail to Google

Mark Email as Spam In the Gmail App

To mark as junk in the Gmail apps for Android or iPhone:

  1. Open the email you want to mark as spam.
    Mark in bulk: To mark more than one message, tap all the checkboxes in their front.
  2. Open the three dots menu (···) in the toolbar.
  3. Select Report spam from the menu that has appeared.

In Email Programs Connected via IMAP

To mark message as spam in email programs that access your account using Gmail IMAP:

  • Move the message or messages to the [Gmail]/Spam folder.

Mark All Emails from a Sender as Spam in Gmail

To quickly move to the Spam label all emails from a particular sender or email address:

  1. Click in the Search mail field or press / (slash).
  2. Type from: followed by the sender’s email address or name.
    Example: Type from:spam@example.com to mark as spam all emails from spam@example.com.
  3. Press Enter.
  4. Click the Select checkbox.
  5. If you see Select all conversations that match this search, do not click it.
    Here’s why: You can always only mark one page full of emails as spam.
  6. Click the Report spam button.

Also: You can block the sender in Gmail so future emails automatically go to spam as well, of course.

How to Mark Email as Spam in Gmail: FAQ

What happens when I mark an email as spam?

When you report an email as junk, two things happen:

One thing that does not happen:

  • Other similar emails already in your inbox, archive or other label are not moved to the Spam label automatically.

Can I label as spam using Basic HTML Gmail?

Yes.

To mark emails as spam in basic HTML Gmail, you could:

  1. Open or check the emails you want to mark.
  2. Click the Report Spam button.

(How to mark email as spam in Gmail tested in a desktop browser and the Gmail app for iOS; updated January 2024)

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