How to totally block an email address?

I've been getting a lot of unwanted emails, some of them do go to junk, some of them don't and I don't find much use in the "block" feature because what it does is to just automatically move emails into the trash folder.


Is there a way to block the mail delivery of a specific address? If so, how?


For example, when you send an email to a deactivated/deleted account or that has ran out of cloud storage, it will not allow the reception of emails and iCloud will automatically send back an email to the sender informing that their email couldn't be delivered.

iPhone SE, iOS 18

Posted on May 30, 2025 05:14 PM

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Posted on May 30, 2025 06:27 PM

Are you actually blocking the emails or moving them to Junk. Just to make sure we are talking about the same thing, blocking is done by either of these methods. It does not automatically delete that email, so that will be an additional step:

  • In email list by swiping left of the email and choosing More, then swiping all the way down to Block this Contact.
  • After opening email, then tap the sender address on the top and choose Block This Contact.


There is no bounce back option for emails from blocked contacts, but you should no longer see future emails in your Inbox from that address. If you do still see them in your Inbox, then go to Settings > Mail > Blocked Sender Options, and make sure you have Move to Trash selected. If it was set to Leave in Inbox, they still appear in your Inbox with a red icon to signify that it is an email from a Blocked Contact.


The problem with most spam emails is that they change the sending address so blocking is less effective, as the next email you receive will just be from a different address.

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May 30, 2025 06:27 PM in response to gabriel404

Are you actually blocking the emails or moving them to Junk. Just to make sure we are talking about the same thing, blocking is done by either of these methods. It does not automatically delete that email, so that will be an additional step:

  • In email list by swiping left of the email and choosing More, then swiping all the way down to Block this Contact.
  • After opening email, then tap the sender address on the top and choose Block This Contact.


There is no bounce back option for emails from blocked contacts, but you should no longer see future emails in your Inbox from that address. If you do still see them in your Inbox, then go to Settings > Mail > Blocked Sender Options, and make sure you have Move to Trash selected. If it was set to Leave in Inbox, they still appear in your Inbox with a red icon to signify that it is an email from a Blocked Contact.


The problem with most spam emails is that they change the sending address so blocking is less effective, as the next email you receive will just be from a different address.

May 30, 2025 06:37 PM in response to Mac Jim ID

I do both, sometimes I mark them as junk (when they're not too often) and sometimes I block them (when they are everyday).


What I particularly don't like about the block option is exactly that it just moves them to the trash folder and when I use my email on another client, apps tend to show the trash and junk as regular folders, and they give you another trash and junk folder, it's kind of redundant.


But that being said, thank you so much for your answer! Now, I guess creating a new alias and moving my important accounts to that address and deleting my email is just easier than everyday blocking a new email...


Have a nice day :)

Jun 15, 2025 07:29 PM in response to Thisboysyaya

Thisboysyaya wrote:

I have had these same settings, and I am STILL getting repeat spam. I have started hitting “Move to junk” in addition to blocking, and it doesn’t seem to make a difference. Anyone?

Blocking only works when the email comes from the same email address. Spammers spoof the sending address so it is always different to prevent blocking and to even avoid junk detection. Whenever you give your email address to any site, you must assume it is going to be sold to advertisers.


Prevention is the key by controlling who gets your email address. Apple offers a service called Hide My Email, although it does require a subscription to iCloud, which starts at 99 cents/month. This allows you to create new email addresses to use when signing up for a service, so if you do start getting spam from that address, you know who sold your info and also able to easily delete the email and create a new one.


In addition, there are some third party spam blockers available in the App Store. Use of those are hit and miss because you do want to block Spam, but still allow valid emails which is not an exact science to determine the difference.

Jul 3, 2025 07:07 AM in response to Thisboysyaya

I am receiving more than 50 previously blocked emails per day which are placed in the junk folder. They are the same email address previously blocked and show the blocked email symbol. I have the setting to move them to trash on all my Apple devices but this does not solve the problem. I can only hope that Apple will address this issue in one of their updates. There have been many users experiencing the same problem which Apple seems to be unable to address. Frustrating to say the least.


How to totally block an email address?

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