Recently I started getting a number of spam messages on my Gmail account. Although they weren’t threatening, they quickly became annoying and the sender obviously didn’t understand that I didn’t want their service. I understood that my only recourse was to block the sender.
It took me a while to realize that the ability to block senders in Gmail was there, right in front of me, all along…both on the web and in mobile apps. Once the sender was blocked, everything returned to its usual (relative) peaceful state.
Blocking senders can be very useful when you are being harassed by someone, when a company keeps spamming you, or when you suspect someone is targeting you for some malicious reason. This feature is built into Gmail. Let me show you how.
Blocking a sender in the web version of Gmail
What you need : a valid Gmail account and a sender to block!
1. Open the email to block
Select from your inbox on the web a message from the sender you want to block.
2. Block sender
On the right edge of the email, you will see a three-dot menu button. Click this button to display the context menu. From this menu, select To block X (where X is the name of the sender).
A pop-up window appears, in which you need to click on To block to confirm.
Access to the Block Sender option from the context menu. Screenshot by ZDNET.fr
3. Unblock a sender
If you change your mind about a sender, you can always unblock them. To do this, click the gear icon in Gmail, then in the pop-up window, click See all settings. In the window that appears, click Filters and blocked addresses.
At the bottom of this page, you will see the sender you just blocked. Click on Unlock to the right of that sender’s list to unblock.
All blocked email addresses can be found here. Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Blocking a sender in the Gmail mobile app
It’s just as easy to block a sender with the Gmail mobile app. Here’s how.
1. Open Gmail on your phone
Log in to your phone and open the Gmail app.
2. Locate a sender’s email
Next, locate and open an email from the sender in question.
3. Block the sender
You will see two different three-dot menus. You need to tap the menu associated with the sender (the one at the bottom), not the email itself. In this menu you will see an entry for Block User. Touch this entry and the sender will be blocked.
Be careful, because there is no confirmation of the block!
Blocking a sender in the Gmail app on Android 13. Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
If you need to unblock users, it’s best to do so from the web version of Gmail.
That’s all there is to blocking unwanted senders in Gmail. Use this function wisely and you will no longer have to worry about someone or an organization harassing you through the email address concerned.
Source: “ZDNet.com”