How to Block Spam Senders Permanently in Gmail

📅 Updated May 2026

⏱ 6 min read

🖥 Desktop & Mobile

You hit “Unsubscribe” three weeks ago and that newsletter is still showing up every morning. Or worse — some random sender keeps slipping past your spam filter no matter how many times you mark it. Gmail’s block feature fixes this properly, and most people don’t know it exists.

Here’s exactly how to block spam senders permanently in Gmail — on desktop, on mobile, and using filters for the stubborn ones that somehow keep coming back.

What You’ll Need

A Gmail account — free or Google Workspace
Access on desktop browser (gmail.com) or the Gmail mobile app (Android or iOS)
About 2 minutes per sender

Method 1 Block a Spam Sender on Gmail Desktop

This is the fastest method and the one I use most. You’re three clicks away from never seeing that sender again.

1	Open gmail.com in your browser and find any email from the sender you want to block. Open that email.

2	In the top-right corner of the email (not the page — the email itself), click the three-dot menu icon (⋮). It sits just to the right of the reply arrow.

3	From the dropdown menu, click Block “[Sender Name]”. Gmail shows the sender’s name in quotes so you know exactly who you’re blocking.

4	A confirmation dialog appears. Click Block to confirm. Done — all future emails from this sender go straight to Spam automatically.

💡	Tip Blocking sends future emails to Spam — it doesn’t delete them. If you want the inbox completely clean, go to your Spam folder after blocking and delete any existing emails from that sender manually.

Method 2 Block a Spam Sender on Gmail Mobile (Android & iOS)

The mobile steps are slightly different — the menu is buried one level deeper, which is why this trips people up. Here’s exactly where to find it.

1	Open the Gmail app and tap the email from the sender you want to block.

2	Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the screen — not the one inside the message thread, but the one at the very top of the screen next to the search icon.

3	Tap Block “[Sender Name]” from the dropdown. If you don’t see this option, scroll down — it’s usually near the bottom of the menu between Mute and Report spam.

4	Tap Block on the confirmation prompt. That sender is now permanently blocked on your account — across all devices.

📝	Note Blocking is tied to your Google account, not your device. Block someone on your phone and they’re blocked on your desktop too — immediately, no sync needed.

Method 3 Use a Filter to Auto-Delete Stubborn Spam (Nuclear Option)

Sometimes blocking isn’t enough. Spammers rotate addresses — so while you’ve blocked john@spamco.com, emails from john2@spamco.com still get through. Gmail’s filter system lets you block an entire domain or any sender matching a pattern, and automatically delete those emails before they even reach Spam.

I use this for domains that keep respawning. Here’s how to set it up:

1	On desktop, click the search bar at the top of Gmail. Then click the Show search options icon — it looks like a small slider/filter icon on the far right of the search bar.

2	In the From field, type the sender’s email address — or to block an entire domain, type @spamco.com (replace with the actual domain). Then click Create filter at the bottom of the panel.

3	On the next screen, check Delete it. Optionally also check Also apply filter to matching conversations to wipe existing emails from that sender.

4	Click Create filter. From this point on, any email matching that pattern is deleted automatically — it skips your inbox and your Spam folder entirely.

⚠️	Warning Be careful blocking entire domains with the delete filter. If you type @gmail.com by mistake, you’ll delete all incoming emails from other Gmail users — including real ones. Always double-check the domain before saving.

How to View and Unblock Senders

Blocked someone by mistake? No problem. Gmail keeps a full list of your blocked senders and lets you remove anyone from it in seconds.

On desktop, go to Settings (the gear icon, top-right) → See all settings → click the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab. Scroll down to the Blocked Addresses section. You’ll see every address you’ve blocked. Click Unblock next to any sender to remove them from the list immediately.

💡	Tip The Filters and Blocked Addresses tab is also where you manage all your custom filters. If you used Method 3, you can edit or delete any filter from here — handy if your filtering rules need to be updated later.

Pro Tips & Common Mistakes

A few things I’ve learned from years of keeping inboxes clean:

🚫 Block ≠ Unsubscribe Blocking routes future emails to Spam — it doesn’t remove you from a mailing list. For newsletters, use the Unsubscribe link first, then block if they persist.	📧 Report Spam Too Always click Report spam in addition to blocking. It trains Gmail’s filter to catch similar senders for everyone — not just you.
🔁 Spammers Rotate Addresses If a sender keeps getting through with new addresses, use Method 3 to block the entire domain — not just one address. That’s the only way to stop them completely.	👀 Check Spam Occasionally Gmail auto-deletes spam after 30 days. Scan your Spam folder once a week for any legitimate email that got caught by mistake — it happens more than you’d expect.

📋 Quick Recap

Desktop: Open email → three-dot menu (⋮) → Block “[Sender]” → Confirm
Mobile: Open email → three-dot menu (⋮) top of screen → Block “[Sender]” → Confirm
Whole domain: Search options → From: @domain.com → Create filter → Delete it
Manage blocks: Settings → See all settings → Filters and Blocked Addresses
Also report spam — it helps Gmail’s filter improve for everyone

Your Inbox, Your Rules

Blocking spam senders in Gmail is genuinely one of those things that takes two minutes and pays off every single day. Between the one-click block for individual senders and the domain filter for persistent offenders, you have everything you need to keep your inbox clean.

The combination that works best in my experience: block the sender, report it as spam, and if they come back from a new address, hit them with a domain filter. Three strikes and they’re gone for good.

Once your inbox is clean, you might also want to look at Gmail’s filtering system for organizing legitimate emails automatically — labels, categories, and priority inbox can transform how you manage your daily mail flow.