The Ultimate Guide to Stopping Spam Email in Gmail

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Stop getting spam and clean up your inbox

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: August 6, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Basic Practices
|
• Using Filters
|
• Reporting Spam
|
• Deleting Spam
|
• Using Labels
|
• Video
|
• Q&A

|Show more |Show less

Do you want to stop spam in Gmail? Over time, as you use your Gmail account for all of your social and economic sign-ups like Facebook, WhatsApp, Dropbox, and other websites, your Gmail inbox can become flooded by unwanted emails or spam messages. This wikiHow article teaches you how to stop such spam emails and stay organized to keep on top of unwanted messages.

How to Stop Getting Spam Emails in Gmail

• Don't use your Gmail email address to create accounts on other websites.
• Create filters to flag emails from senders or websites that are spamming you.
• Mark your unwanted emails as Spam and organize your inbox with Labels.

Steps

Section 1 of 5:

Stopping Spam at the Start

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1. 
   1
   Don't allow websites and services to send you email. When you use Gmail to create accounts or log into other websites, be careful not to let those websites send emails to your Gmail inbox. If you trust the website and want updates from it, it is okay to let that website send emails. However, if you don't completely trust a website, make sure the checkbox that says "allow us to send updates" is unchecked when you sign up.
2. 
   2
   Create a separate email account for the spammy stuff. If you need to sign up for a new website or service, or want to have a separate email address to provide to businesses that require your email address for a loyalty program or otherwise, you can create another Gmail account that's used specifically for creating new online accounts. That way, emails that let you know when there's a sale going on won't impede or hide more important emails in your main Gmail account.

   • You might also create a "spam" email account on another platform, like Yahoo. Then, use that account when you sign up for products and services so you don't clutter your Gmail inbox.
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3. 
   3
   Use "plus addressing in Gmail." Plus addressing in Gmail lets you create endless Gmail aliases by adding a plus (+) symbol, followed by a label or keyword, between your username and "@gmail.com." For example, if you sign up for a site like Temu using your Gmail address, use "[yourusername]+temu@gmail.com" to sign up. This way, if Temu sells your email address to marketers, you'll know that any spam in your inbox sent to that address is because of Temu and you'll be able to filter it.
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Section 2 of 5:

Using Filters in Gmail

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1. 
   1
   Open Gmail in your computer's web browser. If you are feeling that a certain website or sender is spamming your inbox, you can set up a filter, which will automatically flag emails and delete them. This option is only available while accessing Gmail through a web browser. It is not currently available for the Gmail mobile app.
2. 
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   Click the icon with three slider bars. It's to the right of the search bar at the top of the page when you're looking at your Inbox or any other page in Gmail. A window that allows you to specify your search criteria will appear.
3. 
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   Enter your search criteria. You can enter email addresses next to "From." You can also specify a subject, or words an email has or doesn't have. For example, if you want to block spam, the best thing to do is enter email addresses or subjects that you know are spam.

   • If you want to check that your search has worked correctly, click the Search button. Clicking the down arrow again will bring the window back with the same search criteria you entered.
4. 
   4
   Click Create Filter. It's at the bottom of the Search menu. This will create a new filter based on your search criteria.
5. 
   5
   Choose the action you'd like for these messages. Do this by checking the appropriate box. For example, if you want to delete spam automatically, click the checkbox next to "Delete It" to delete emails that fit your search criteria.
6. 
   6
   Click Create Filter. It's the blue button in the lower-right corner. This creates a new filter for your emails.
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Section 3 of 5:

Reporting Spam

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1. 
   1
   Mark the unwanted emails from particular websites or senders. To do so, click the checkbox next to the emails you want to remove to select them. If you are using the mobile app, tap and hold the emails you want to delete.
2. 
   2
   Click the "Report Spam" icon. It's the icon that resembles a stop sign at the top of the page. This marks the emails as spam and moves them to your spam folder. This also reports the emails as spam.

   • If you are using the mobile app, tap the icon that resembles three dots in the upper-right corner. Then tap Report spam.
   • Report spam enough from the same emails, and Gmail's algorithm will stop sending similar emails to your Inbox. The system isn't perfect, however, so you might find a spam email in your inbox every once in a while.
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Section 4 of 5:

Removing Spam Emails

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1. 
   1
   Click or tap the Spam folder. It's in the menu to the left. If you do not see the Spam folder, click More at the bottom of the list of inboxes and then scroll down to the Spam folder.

   • If you are using the mobile app, tap the icon that resembles three horizontal lines in the upper-left corner. The tap Spam.
2. 
   2
   Select the messages you'd like to delete. To do so, click the checkbox next to the messages you would like to delete. If you are using the mobile app, simply tap and hold the messages you want to delete.

   • Alternatively, you can click Delete all spam messages now at the top or your browser page, or tap Empty spam now at the top of the mobile app to instantly delete all Spam messages.
3. 
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   Click Delete forever or tap

   

   . It's at the top of the page. If you are using a desktop computer, click Delete forever to delete all selected emails. If you are using the mobile app, tap the icon that resembles a trash can at the top of the page.

   • Gmail will learn that some messages are spam and treat them as such in the future. However, it doesn't always get it right; unopened emails that you have been meaning to get around to but then delete in a clean-up without actually wanting to unsubscribe can end up being treated as spam. You'll need to retrieve such emails from the Spam folder so that Gmail learns to leave them alone again.
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Section 5 of 5:

Organizing Your Gmail with Labels

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1. 
   1
   Sort your emails to help you prioritize what you deal with. Gmail has three categories of mail sorted for incoming mail, such as Primary, Social, and Promotion. You can add more categories or combine them into one category. Creating Labels will help you to determine which mail is spam and which is important.
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   Add Labels in the settings. The option to add labels is only available when accessing Gmail through a web browser, and is not available on the Android Gmail app. Use the following steps to create labels:

   • Click the Gear icon in the upper-right corner.
   • Click See all settings.
   • Click the Labels tab at the top of the page.
   • Click Create New Label towards the bottom of the menu.
   • Enter the name of the new label.
   • Click Create.
3. 
   3
   Move emails to different inboxes or labels. To do so, simply click the checkboxes next to the emails you want to move to a specific inbox or label. Then click and drag any one of the messages to the inbox or label to the left. This moves all emails to the inbox.

   • Alternatively, you can create a new filter that will move emails from the sender or with a specific subject to an inbox or label automatically.
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Community Q&A

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• Question

  How can I prevent some emails from going directly to the spam folder in Gmail?

  

  Community Answer

  There should be an option to mark emails as safe or from a trusted sender. You can also add the senders to your safe list.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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• Question

  How do I stop spam mail in Gmail? Is there a way to block them from even entering the spam box?

  

  Community Answer

  From everything I've read and searched online, there is no way to do this. Filter spam to trash, then the spam box will never fill up. All your spam will go to the trash folder. Then just open the trash box and click "Empty trash." I'd love it if we could COMPLETELY block spam, but that doesn't seem to be an option.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

  Yes No

  Not Helpful 14 Helpful 38

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