If you block someone on gmail can they still email you

Electronic messaging is a fantastic and instantaneous way to interact with others and convey virtually any message. You can share files, pictures, news, and anything else you want. However, some people use it for darker reasons, and it's best to block them before they get to you. Gmail makes it easy to do that, from the best Android phones or from a desktop, preventing spammers and other unwanted senders from contacting you using your email address.

When you block an email address, future messages sent to you are automatically marked as spam, preventing them from appearing in your Inbox. However, they're still accessible in your spam folder or your trash, depending on the method you choose. Read on to learn how to do this.

Block someone from an email message

The simplest method to block someone on Gmail is to do it from an email you received, no matter whether you access Gmail from a computer or the mobile app. Once you've blocked someone, their messages are automatically sent to your spam folder and become invisible in your inbox. You can still access them if needed, but only for a short time, as Gmail deletes spam messages after 30 days.

Using a computer

1. Open Gmail using your regular web browser.
2. Navigate to the email from the sender you'd like to block.
3. Click the three-dot (⋮) menu on the right side of the screen.
4. Click Block sender.

5. Confirm you'd like to block the sender by clicking the Block button.
6. You're all set! Future emails from that address are automatically sent to your spam folder.

Using the mobile app

1. Open the Gmail app on your phone.
2. Locate and open the email from the sender you'd like to block.
3. Tap the three-dot (⋮) menuto the right of the sender's name.
4. Tap Block user.

5. A gray section appears below the subject line, confirming you've blocked the user. Future emails are automatically sent to the spam folder.

Manually blocking someone

Although the above methods are the simplest, there may be situations requiring you to proactively block a sender. You can do this in a few steps. You can also use this method if you'd rather have emails immediately trashed instead of being sent to your spam folder.

1. Using a desktop web browser, navigate to Gmail.
2. Tap the filter icon in the search bar, located at the top of the screen.

3. Define the filters you'd like to use. In this case, type an email address in the From field.

4. Click Create filter to continue.
5. Tick the checkbox next to Delete it and click Create filter.

6. All new emails matching your criteria are immediately deleted and don't show up in your inbox or spam folder.
7. You can access these deleted emails if needed, as they're in your Trash folder. However, you must be quick, as messages are automatically deleted after 30 days, just like with the spam folder.

Unblocking someone

If you feel remorse after blocking someone or have reestablished a sane relationship with a blocked contact, it's easy to unblock them. There are several ways to do so.

From an email

If you've blocked someone using the first method mentioned above, it takes a click to unblock a sender. The steps are the same regardless of whether you're using a desktop web browser or your phone.

1. Open an email from the person you want to unblock. If the person kept writing to you despite being blocked, you'll most likely find one of their emails in your spam folder. Otherwise, search for an old email from that person. If you don't find an email, you can unblock them using the method listed below.
2. Since you've blocked that sender, you'll see a gray card before the message that says, "You have blocked [sender]. New messages from this sender will be sent to Spam."

3. Tap or click Unblock sender and confirm the operation.
4. New emails from that sender now appear in your inbox, as usual. Check your spam folder for older messages from that sender, in case you want to retrieve them.

Using the settings

The below steps work for all the methods mentioned above, as they let you unblock people and remove filters using Gmail's settings. They require a computer, though, as the settings are slightly more complex.

1. Using a desktop web browser, navigate to Gmail.
2. Click on the wheel icon in the upper-right corner.
3. Click See all settings.
4. Go to the Filters and Blocked Addresses section.
5. You will see all your filters and blocked contacts on that screen.

6. To remove a filter, click Delete next to it. You can also bulk delete them by ticking the checkboxes next to their names and clicking the Delete button at the bottom of the section.
7. To unblock a contact, click Unblock next to their name or email address. You can also bulk unblock people by ticking the checkboxes next to their names and clicking the Unblock selected addresses button at the bottom of the screen.

Email with peace of mind

Email shouldn't be a worrisome experience. Even though there are powerful spam filters protecting us from scams, providers can't tell that we don't want emails from specific people for personal reasons. Gmail provides adjustable tools to prevent us from dealing with unwanted people, whether it's moving their emails to spam or deleting them. These methods are also easy to revert, making it simple to reestablish a connection with people after a quiet period.

Gmail's filters are powerful. You can use filters to automatically delete messages and make your inbox neater and more efficient. Check out how to use labels to organize your Gmail and get the job done in just a few minutes.