How to Stop Spam Emails in Gmail and Outlook in the UK

If your inbox fills up with fake delivery notices, prize draws you never entered and emails from companies you have never heard of, you are not alone. Spam is still one of the most common annoyances on the internet, and some of it is dangerous: phishing emails try to steal passwords and bank details by pretending to be your bank or HMRC.

The trick is knowing which button to press. Reporting spam trains your email service to catch similar messages in future. Blocking stops one sender entirely. Unsubscribing only works for genuine marketing emails from real companies. Use the wrong one and the spam keeps coming.

Report spam instead of just deleting it

Deleting a spam email feels satisfying, but it does almost nothing. Your email service learns from what you report, so the single most useful thing you can do is press the spam button instead of the delete button.

In Gmail, open the message, then tap the exclamation mark icon labelled Report spam at the top. Gmail moves the message to the Spam folder and uses the report to improve its filters. In the Gmail app, open the message, tap the three dots and choose Report spam. If a message is a phishing attempt, choose Report phishing from the same menu instead, which sends extra details to Google’s security team.

In Outlook, open the message and tap Junk in the toolbar, then choose Junk or Phishing. Outlook moves it to the Junk Email folder and adds the sender to its blocked list. In the Outlook app, open the message, tap the three dots and choose Report junk, then pick Junk or Phishing.

Block the sender

Reporting spam helps the filter, but some senders keep coming back with slightly different addresses. Blocking stops messages from that exact address reaching your inbox at all.

In Gmail on the web, open a message from the sender, tap the three dots next to the reply button and choose Block. Gmail will ask you to confirm, and future messages from that address go straight to Spam. In the Gmail app, the same option sits under the three dots menu when you open the message. In Outlook on the web, open the message, tap the three dots and choose Block sender. Outlook adds the address to your blocked senders list and moves future messages to Junk.

Unsubscribe from real marketing emails

Genuine companies are required to include an unsubscribe link in marketing emails, and using it is the fastest way to stop them. Open the email, scroll to the bottom and tap Unsubscribe. Gmail also shows an Unsubscribe link next to the sender’s name at the top of many marketing emails, and tapping it sends the request without opening the message at all.

Be careful, though. Only unsubscribe from emails sent by companies you recognise and trust. Scammers put fake unsubscribe links in phishing emails, and tapping one can confirm to the sender that your address is real, or take you to a fake login page. If you do not recognise the sender, or the email looks suspicious, report it as spam instead and never tap any link inside it.

Set up filters to catch repeat spam

Filters let you tell your email service what to do with messages that match a pattern, such as a sender, a subject line or a word in the body. They are useful for the kind of spam that keeps arriving in slightly different forms.

In Gmail on the web, tap the search options icon in the search bar, fill in the sender, subject or words that identify the spam, then tap Create filter. Choose Delete it or Skip the Inbox and apply the label Spam. Be careful with broad filters: one that deletes every message containing the word “invoice” could delete a real invoice, so test a filter on a narrow pattern first.

Report scams to the UK authorities

The UK has a dedicated service for reporting suspicious emails, run by the National Cyber Security Centre. If you receive a phishing email, forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk. The NCSC says it has taken down tens of thousands of scam websites using reports from the public, and forwarding a message takes seconds. Do not click any link in the email before forwarding it.

If you clicked a link or lost money, report it to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud reporting centre, at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. You can also report a scam text by forwarding it free of charge to 7726, which spells SPAM on a phone keypad.

Habits that keep spam away

A few habits make a real difference over time. Never post your main email address in public places such as forums or social media profiles, because automated tools harvest addresses from the open web. If you need to give an address to a website you do not fully trust, use a secondary email account, or a plus address: Gmail lets you add a plus sign and a word to your address, such as yourname+shopping@gmail.com, and mail still arrives in your inbox while you can filter or block that version later. Do not open attachments from unknown senders, and never reply to spam emails. A reply tells the sender that a real person reads that inbox. Finally, keep your email app updated, because spam filters and phishing detection improve with every update.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I still get spam if I report it?

Reporting spam trains the filter, but spammers constantly change addresses, subject lines and wording to get past it. Reporting makes the filter smarter over time, and combining it with blocking and filters cuts the volume much further than any single step on its own.

Is it safe to tap unsubscribe in any email?

No. Only unsubscribe from emails sent by companies you recognise and trust. Scammers put fake unsubscribe links in phishing emails, and tapping one can confirm your address is active. If you do not recognise the sender, report the message as spam instead and do not tap any link inside it.

What should I do if I clicked a link in a phishing email?

Do not enter any details on the page, and close it straight away. If you entered a password, change it immediately, and change the same password anywhere else you used it. If you entered bank details, call your bank on the number on the back of your card. Then forward the email to report@phishing.gov.uk and report the fraud to Action Fraud.