How to stop spam in Gmail

Report spam so Gmail learns

The single most useful thing you can do is report spam rather than just delete it. Reporting feeds Gmail's filter, which is trained on what millions of people mark, so each report makes the next similar message more likely to be caught automatically.

1. Select the spam message (or several) using the checkboxes.
2. Click the Report spam button — the octagon with an exclamation mark — in the toolbar.
3. It moves to the Spam folder, where Gmail deletes it automatically after 30 days.

Block senders you never want to hear from

Blocking is stronger than unsubscribing for genuinely unwanted senders. Open a message from them, click the three-dot menu in the top-right, and choose Block. Their future mail goes straight to Spam without cluttering your inbox.

Set filters for the persistent ones

For a sender or pattern that keeps getting through, a filter gives you precise control. Search for the sender or a distinctive phrase, create a filter from that search, and choose Delete it or Skip the Inbox. From then on, matching mail is handled automatically.

Report spam vs unsubscribe — use the right one

These are not the same. Unsubscribe from legitimate senders you once opted into — newsletters, stores, services — because reporting them as spam can unfairly hurt a sender you actually chose. Report spam for unsolicited mail from senders you never signed up with. Using each correctly keeps Gmail's filter accurate for you.

Why some spam still gets through

No filter is perfect. Spammers rotate sending addresses and domains constantly, so a brand-new source hasn't been flagged yet. This is why the filter needs your reports to keep learning, and why a purely rules-based approach always lags a step behind.

Where Siftbird fits

Siftbird adds a layer on top of Gmail's own spam handling. Depending on the cleanup level you choose, it can route obvious spam — cold sales, scams, phishing — to your Spam folder or Trash (recoverable for 30 days), while it marks other noise read and archives clutter. Your important mail is never spammed or trashed at any level. Nothing is stored, and you can undo any action in one click. $5/month, 7-day free trial.