How to block spam emails on Gmail

To block spam emails on Gmail, open the message and click Report spam (the exclamation icon in the toolbar). For senders who keep coming back, also click the three-dot menu and choose Block sender. For domain-wide spammers, build a filter that auto-deletes everything from their domain.

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Method 1: Report Spam (Gmail web)

Reporting trains Gmail's global filter, not just yours - so a single report helps every Gmail user. This should be your default for anything that looks like real spam.

1. Click on the spam email to open it.
2. Click the Report spam icon in the toolbar at the top - it looks like an exclamation mark inside a stop sign.
3. The message moves to Spam. Gmail strips active links and images for safety.

Spam folder mail is auto-deleted after 30 days, so you don't need to clean it manually.

Method 2: Report Phishing

For email pretending to be from a real company (your bank, Amazon, etc.) trying to trick you into clicking a link or entering credentials, use Report Phishing instead. It has higher priority in Google's review queue.

1. Open the message.
2. Click the three-dot menu in the top-right of the message.
3. Select Report phishing.

Method 3: Block the sender

For senders that aren't quite spam but you don't want anything from them again - persistent recruiters, ex-employees, that one mailing list that won't honor unsubscribes:

1. Open any email from the sender.
2. Click the three-dot menu in the message header.
3. Select Block "[sender]".
4. Confirm. Future mail from that exact address goes to Spam.

One catch: blocking only affects the exact email address. If a marketer sends from news@brand.com sometimes and updates@brand.com other times, you'd need to block each one - or use a filter (next method).

Method 4: filter the entire domain

For domain-wide spammers, a filter is more powerful than blocking:

1. Click the search bar at the top of Gmail.
2. Click the filter icon (sliders) on the right of the search bar.
3. In From, enter *@example.com (replace example.com with the spammer's domain).
4. Click Create filter.
5. Tick Delete it (or Skip the Inbox + Mark as read if you want to keep evidence).
6. Tick Apply filter to matching conversations to retroactively delete existing messages.
7. Click Create filter.

Mobile (iPhone or Android)

The Gmail app supports Report spam, Report phishing, and Block sender, but not filter creation. Use the web for filters.

1. Open the email in the Gmail app.
2. Tap the three-dot menu (top-right of the message).
3. Tap Report spam, Report phishing, or Block [sender].

Don't click unsubscribe on actual spam

Real spammers use unsubscribe clicks to confirm your address is valid - then they sell or share it. For obvious spam, always Report spam, never click unsubscribe. The unsubscribe link is for legitimate marketing - see how to unsubscribe from emails on Gmail for that case.

Spam keeps coming - what now?

• Each new sender - report and block. Yes, every time. The filter learns.
• Same domain, different addresses - build a domain filter (Method 4 above).
• Your address has been leaked - if spam volume is high and growing, your address may be on a leaked list. Consider using + aliases for new sign-ups (e.g. name+amazon@gmail.com) so you can identify and filter the source.