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Published 28 August 2025
1. Gmail (Web & Mobile App)
Web:
• Open Gmail and find an email from the thread you want to mark as spam.
• Select the email or open it.
• Click the “Report spam” button (the stop sign icon with an exclamation mark) in the toolbar above the email list.
• Gmail will move this email and future emails from the sender to the Spam folder.
Mobile App:
• Open the Gmail app.
• Open the email from the thread.
• Tap the three dots menu (top-right).
• Select “Report spam”.
• Future emails from this sender will be filtered into Spam.
2. Outlook (Web & Desktop & Mobile App)
Outlook Web:
• Open Outlook in a browser.
• Select the email from the thread.
• Click on “Junk” in the toolbar, then choose “Block” or “Report junk”.
• This moves the current email to Junk and filters future emails from the sender to Junk.
Outlook Desktop:
• Right-click the email.
• Hover over “Junk” and select “Block Sender” or “Junk Email Options” to create a custom filter.
• This will direct future emails from this sender/thread into the Junk folder.
Outlook Mobile:
• Open the Outlook app.
• Open the email.
• Tap the three dots.
• Select “Move to Junk” or “Report Spam”.
3. Apple Mail (macOS & iOS)
macOS Mail:
• Select the email from the thread.
• Click the “Junk” button (exclamation mark icon) in the toolbar.
• Apple Mail will mark this email as junk and try to filter future emails from this sender into the Junk folder.
iOS Mail:
• Open the email.
• Tap the flag icon or swipe left on the message in the inbox.
• Tap “Mark”, then “Move to Junk”.
• Future emails from the sender will go to Junk.
4. Yahoo Mail (Web & Mobile App)
Yahoo Mail Web:
• Select the email from the thread.
• Click the “Spam” button (exclamation mark icon) at the top.
• The email will be moved to Spam, and Yahoo will filter future emails from this sender to Spam.
Yahoo Mobile App:
• Open the email.
• Tap the three dots menu.
• Tap “Mark as spam”.
• Future emails will be diverted to Spam.
5. Thunderbird (Desktop Email Client)
• Select the email from the thread.
• Click the “Junk” button in the toolbar.
• Thunderbird will mark the email as junk and learn to filter future emails from this sender into the Junk folder.
6. Other Email Clients
Most email apps or websites will have a similar option to mark emails as spam/junk, often represented by an exclamation mark or labelled “Report spam,” “Mark as junk,” or “Block sender.”
Additional Tips:
• Create filters/rules: For more control, many email providers allow you to create custom filters/rules to automatically send emails containing specific keywords, from specific senders, or matching threads to Spam or Trash.
• Check Spam folder regularly: Sometimes legitimate emails end up there, so check occasionally to avoid missing important mail.
How to Block Specific Email Senders
1. Gmail (Web & Mobile App)
Web:
• Open Gmail and open an email from the sender you want to block.
• Click the three vertical dots (More options) next to the Reply button (top-right corner of the email).
• Select “Block [Sender Name]”.
• Gmail will block the sender and send future emails to Spam.
Mobile App:
• Open the Gmail app.
• Open the email from the sender.
• Tap the three dots (top-right).
• Tap “Block [Sender Name]”.
2. Outlook (Web, Desktop & Mobile App)
Outlook Web:
• Open Outlook.com and select an email from the sender.
• Click the three dots menu (top-right of the email).
• Select “Block”.
• Confirm to block the sender; future emails go to Junk.
Outlook Desktop:
• Right-click on an email from the sender.
• Hover over “Junk” and click “Block Sender”.
• The sender is blocked and future messages go to Junk.
Outlook Mobile:
• Open the Outlook app.
• Open the email.
• Tap the three dots.
• Choose “Move to Junk” or “Block Sender” (if available).
• Future emails will be sent to Junk.
3. Apple Mail (macOS & iOS)
macOS Mail:
• Open the Mail app.
• Select an email from the sender.
• Click the sender’s name/email address.
• Click “Block Contact” from the dropdown.
• Emails from this sender will be flagged as blocked and sent to Junk.
iOS Mail:
• Open the Mail app.
• Open an email from the sender.
• Tap the sender’s name/email at the top.
• Tap “Block this Contact”.
• Future emails from this sender will be filtered accordingly.
4. Yahoo Mail (Web & Mobile App)
Yahoo Mail Web:
• Open Yahoo Mail and select an email from the sender.
• Click the three dots menu next to the Reply button.
• Select “Block senders”.
• Confirm to block; emails from the sender will go to Spam.
Yahoo Mobile App:
• Open the email.
• Tap the three dots.
• Select “Block sender”.
5. Thunderbird (Desktop Email Client)
• Right-click on an email from the sender.
• Choose “Create Filter From Message”.
• Set a rule to Delete or Move to Junk emails from this sender.
• Apply the filter to future emails.
(Note: Thunderbird doesn’t have a simple “block sender” button, but filters effectively block senders.)
6. Other Email Clients
Most email services or apps allow you to block a sender by opening an email from them and looking for options like:
• Block sender
• Add to blocked list
• Create filter/rule to delete or move emails
Bonus: Creating Custom Filters to Block Senders (If “Block” Button Not Available)
If your email client doesn’t support direct blocking:
• Go to Settings > Filters/Rules.
• Create a new rule with condition: From contains the sender’s email address.
• Set the action to Move to Spam/Junk or Delete.
• Save the filter.