Spam keeps piling up in Gmail, burying the messages you actually need. Reporting junk, blocking repeat senders, and unsubscribing from legitimate mailing lists help get your inbox back under control. Start with those controls, then set up a targeted filter for persistent unwanted mail.
Report spam that reaches your inbox
Gmail’s automatic spam protection is already running, with no setup needed. When junk slips through, Report spam helps Gmail identify similar messages in the future.
On a computer, select one or more unwanted messages, then click the toolbar’s Report spam button. Simply deleting them clears the messages without reporting them to Gmail as spam.
In the Gmail app on Android, iPhone, or iPad, open the unwanted message, tap the top-right More menu, and select Report spam. For several messages, select their sender profile pictures, then tap More > Report spam.
When the same sender keeps returning, block them
Use blocking for repeated unwanted mail from a particular address. Future messages from that address go to Spam; blocking does not reject delivery or unsubscribe you from a mailing list.
On a computer, open a message from the sender. Click the message’s More menu beside Reply. Then choose Block "{sender}", with the sender’s name shown in the control.
On Android, iPhone, or iPad, open the sender’s message. Tap the message’s More menu. On Android, this is the sender/message menu, separate from the app-level menu used to report spam. Select Block "{sender}".
To review blocked addresses on desktop, open Settings > See all settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses.
Unsubscribe from newsletters you no longer want
Unsubscribing cuts down on legitimate subscription mail you no longer need.
Open a newsletter or promotional message from a legitimate mailing list in Gmail on your computer, Android phone, iPhone, or iPad. Select Unsubscribe beside the sender’s name, when that control is available. Confirm with Unsubscribe in the popup, or choose Go to website when Gmail directs you to the sender’s site. Follow the sender’s unsubscribe instructions after a website redirect.
Allow several days for the request to take effect. A message-level unsubscribe does not necessarily cover every mailing list from that sender.
Review subscriptions in one place
On desktop Gmail, expand More in the left sidebar. Open Manage subscriptions. Click a sender to inspect its messages before removing its subscriptions. Select Unsubscribe beside the unwanted sender. This screen supports unsubscribing from all active mailing lists associated with that sender.
On Android, iPhone, or iPad, open Gmail’s Menu. Tap Manage subscriptions. Select Unsubscribe beside the sender. Complete any additional unsubscribe instructions.
Google is rolling this feature out gradually; if Manage subscriptions is missing, use Unsubscribe inside an individual message.
Target persistent unwanted mail with a filter
For recurring unwanted messages, a targeted filter handles incoming matches automatically across your devices. On desktop Gmail, open Show search options in the search box. Enter a matching sender, subject, or other criteria.
Click Search to inspect the matching messages. Narrow the criteria if the results include legitimate mail you want to keep. Reopen Show search options.
Click Create filter. Choose Delete it to automatically delete future matches, or Skip the Inbox (Archive it) for legitimate promotions you want to keep out of your inbox. For archived messages you also want to organize, select Apply the label.
Select Also apply filter to matching conversations if you want to process existing matches too. Click Create filter to save the rule. Archiving and deleting reduce visible clutter but don’t report a message as spam.
If spam keeps bypassing the filter, inspect your rules
An overly broad rule using Never send it to Spam lets matching unwanted messages bypass Gmail’s spam classification.
On desktop Gmail, open Settings. Choose See all settings. Open Filters and Blocked Addresses. Inspect your filters for broad matches that use Never send it to Spam.
To remove an unwanted rule, choose Delete. Confirm with OK.
To keep a rule but change its actions, choose Edit instead. Click Continue. Clear Never send it to Spam so matching unwanted messages are no longer exempted from spam filtering. Click Update filter.
Report phishing instead of engaging with it
Phishing reports flag suspicious emails for Google.
Open the suspicious email in Gmail on a computer. Click More beside Reply. Select Report phishing.
For suspicious mail apparently sent by a contact, click Report this suspicious message when Gmail displays that warning. This flags the message while preserving future legitimate mail from the contact.
Leave suspicious messages unanswered. Avoid their links, including embedded unsubscribe links. Use Gmail’s Report spam, Report phishing, or Block "{sender}" controls to handle the unwanted message.
Protect your address from future unwanted mail
Avoid posting your personal email address publicly or giving it to untrusted sites. Limiting exposure helps reduce future unwanted mail, but it does not stop messages already being sent to your address.
For registrations, use Gmail plus aliases such as [email protected] or [email protected]. Messages still reach the same account; create a filter for an alias to archive or delete its unwanted mail. A plus alias does not conceal your base address.
For a separate registration inbox, open the Google Account sign-in page and choose Create account > For my personal use. Follow the account-creation instructions. Reserve the new address for registrations to keep them apart from your personal inbox.
Clear existing spam without losing useful messages
On desktop Gmail, expand More in the left sidebar. Open Spam. Review the messages for legitimate mail before permanently deleting anything.
Select a legitimate message. Click Not spam to correct its classification. Click Delete all spam messages now after checking for other legitimate messages.
On Android, iPhone, or iPad, open Gmail’s Menu. Tap Spam. Open any legitimate message you find there. Tap More.
Select Report not spam. Return to Spam. Tap Empty spam now after checking for other legitimate messages.
For automatic cleanup, leave messages in Spam for permanent deletion after 30 days; emptying the folder yourself clears existing messages without preventing future delivery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make Gmail’s spam filter more aggressive?
In personal Gmail, keep using Report spam: as you report more spam, Gmail identifies similar emails as spam more efficiently. For a work or school Gmail account, ask your administrator to review spam filtering and inappropriate spam bypasses. Workspace administrators have stronger filtering and administrative quarantine options.
Does changing my Gmail address stop spam?
No. Eligible personal accounts can change their Gmail address, but the old address continues receiving mail. A rename alone does not solve spam; unwanted messages addressed to the old address need a filter.
What should I do if hundreds of spam emails suddenly arrive?
Google warns that spam floods are sometimes used to conceal account or financial alerts. Inspect both Inbox and Spam, then visit myaccount.google.com/security-checkup to review your account security. Changing your password alone does not stop mail sent to an exposed address.
Can I block spam by disabling external images?
No. Asking Gmail before displaying external images limits automatic image loading, but it does not block incoming spam.