How to Stop Spam (with Pictures)

2025 Author: Jason Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2025-01-23 12:04

This wikiHow teaches you how to identify, prevent, and block spam emails. While blocking spam in your inbox won't always prevent future spam from appearing, the steps you take will help your email provider determine which messages contain spam. You can block spam messages in Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and Apple Mail, both desktop and mobile versions.

Step

Part 1 of 9: Preventing Spam

Step 1. Check the sender of the email

Often times, spam comes from unknown senders and unfamiliar email addresses. However, this does not necessarily mean that all unknown emails are spam. Electronic newsletters, website administration emails (e.g. password reset or authentication requests), and others may be sent from addresses you do not recognize. However, spam emails usually have some odd numbers, hyphens, and/or letter combinations.

Step 2. Do not click on the link included in the email

Generally, the main purpose of spam messages is to “persuade” you to click on a link. Therefore, only click on links in emails sent by people you know and trust.

If you have any doubts about the link inserted in a message from a friend, try contacting the friend and ask about the link that was sent. There is a possibility that his contact list was compromised or “polluted” by spam

Step 3. Spell check the email

Spam often includes misspellings and sentences with odd wordings/choices. This includes capitalization and use of extraneous punctuation, or messy text formatting such as bolded, italicized, or randomly colored text.

Step 4. Read the sent message

Any message that says you won a contest you've never entered before, offers access to money that nobody acknowledges, or promises you electronics, jewelry or any product for free is not a genuine message. Any message asking you for a password is also not a genuine message as all legitimate websites have automatic password setting programs. Requests from strangers should also be ignored.

Many email services have a preview window to show the beginning of the email, without having to open it

Step 5. Don't give out your email address on the internet

“Robots” (commands made to retrieve addresses from websites) can quickly collect thousands of email addresses at once from websites that publicly display email addresses. Therefore, never enter an email address to register for events such as coupon searches, and never enter an email address in comments or online posts.

Step 6. Make sure your email address cannot be scanned

If you must provide your email address in a general context, try giving your address in a creative way (eg “name[at]yahoo[dot]com” instead of "[email protected]"). This step can prevent spammers from being able to withdraw or have your email address removed from automated programs.

Step 7. Don't make the username the same as the email address

Usernames are almost always generic. This means, if the email address used is the same as the username, the address can be easily identified once the perpetrator knows the appropriate email service to add to the end of the name.

Services such as Yahoo! Chat makes it easy for the address search process because it is possible for everyone who uses it to get the @yahoo.com email address domain

Step 8. Never respond to spam

Replying to or clicking the “Unsubscribe” link will only result in more spam because it will indicate that your email address is valid and active. It's a good idea to report and remove spam using the steps in the next method.

Part 2 of 9: Blocking Spam on the Desktop Version of Gmail

Step 1. Open Gmail

Visit https://www.gmail.com/ via a browser. After that, your Gmail inbox will be displayed if you're already signed in to your account.

If you're not logged into your account, type in your email address and password before continuing

Step 2. Select the spam message

Click the checkbox on the left side of the spam message to select it.

Step 3. Click the “Spam” icon

This icon resembles a stop sign with an exclamation point. Usually, you'll find them in the row of buttons above your inbox. After that, a pop-up window will be displayed.

Step 4. Click Report spam

It's a blue button in a pop-up window. After that, spam messages will be removed from the inbox and placed in the “ Spam ”.

If you see the option “ Report spam & unsubscribe ”, click the option.

Step 5. Click the Spam tab

This tab is on the left side of the page.

You may need to click on the tab “ More labels ” first to see the options.

Step 6. Click Delete all spam messages now

This link is at the top of the page.

Step 7. Click OK when prompted

After that, all spam messages will be deleted from the “Spam” folder.

Part 3 of 9: Blocking Spam on Gmail Mobile

Step 1. Open Gmail

Tap the Gmail app icon, which resembles a red “M” on a white envelope. After that, the inbox will be opened if you are already signed in to your account.

If you're not logged in yet, type in your email address and password before continuing

Step 2. Select the spam message

Touch and hold the message you want to mark as spam.

Step 3. Touch (iPhone) or (Android).

It's in the upper-right corner of the screen. After that, the menu will be displayed.

Step 4. Touch Report spam

This option is in the menu. After that, the message will be moved to the “ Spam ”.

Step 5. Touch

It's in the top-left corner of the screen. After that, a pop-out menu will be displayed.

Step 6. Touch Spam

This option is in the menu.

Step 7. Touch EMPTY SPAM NOW

It's at the top of the screen.

Step 8. Touch OK when prompted

After that, the “Spam” folder will be emptied.

Part 4 of 9: Blocking Spam on Desktop Version of Outlook

Step 1. Open Outlook

Visit https://www.outlook.com/ in a browser. After that, the Outlook inbox will be opened if you are already signed in to the account.

If you're not logged in yet, type in your email address and password before continuing

Step 2. Select the message

Hover over the message you want to mark as spam, then click the white circle that appears to the left of the email preview. A check mark will appear on the circle.

If you're not using the beta version of Outlook, click the checkbox on this page

Step 3. Click Junk

This tab is at the top of the inbox page. The selected message will be immediately moved to the " Junk Email " folder.

Step 4. Click Junk Email

This option is on the left side of the inbox page.

Step 5. Click Delete all

It's above the message list.

Step 6. Click Delete all when prompted

After that, the “Junk Email” folder will be emptied.

Part 5 of 9: Blocking Spam on Outlook Mobile

Step 1. Open Outlook

Touch the Outlook app icon, which looks like a white box on a blue background. After that, the Outlook inbox will be opened if you are already signed in to the account.

If you're not logged in yet, type in your email address and password before continuing

Step 2. Select the message

Press and hold the spam message until a check mark appears next to it.

Step 3. Touch the “Move to” icon

The folder icon with this arrow is at the bottom of the screen. After that, a new menu will be opened.

Step 4. Touch Spam

This option is in the menu.

Step 5. Touch

It's in the top-left corner of the screen. After that, a pop-out menu will be displayed.

Step 6. Touch Spam

It's in the middle of the pop-out menu.

Step 7. Touch Empty Spam

It's at the top of the screen.

Step 8. Touch Permanently Delete when prompted

After that, all spam messages in the “Spam” folder will be deleted.

Part 6 of 9: Blocking Spam on Yahoo Desktop Version

Step 1. Open Yahoo

Visit https://mail.yahoo.com/ in a browser. After that, the inbox will be displayed if you are already signed in to your account.

If you're not logged into your account, enter your email address and password before continuing

Step 2. Select the message

Click the check box to the left of the message you want to mark as spam.

Step 3. Click Spam

It's at the top of your inbox. After that, the selected message will be directly moved to the folder Spam ”.

Step 4. Select the Spam folder

Hover over the folder Spam ” which is on the left side of the inbox. After that, you can see the trash icon.

Step 5. Click the trash can icon

This icon is to the right of the “ Spam ”.

Step 6. Click OK when prompted

After that, all messages in the folder " Spam " will be deleted.

Part 7 of 9: Blocking Spam on Yahoo Mobile

Step 1. Open Yahoo

Tap the Yahoo Mail app icon, which looks like an envelope on a purple background. The inbox will be displayed if you are already signed in to your Yahoo account.