AI-generated scam messages and traditional spam are making inboxes harder to manage than ever. This is especially true for people who reuse the same email address across websites, sign-ups and public forms. Writing for Android Police, Rahul Naskar shared four practical Gmail settings she uses to cut down on unwanted messages before they cause problems. Here’s a closer look at each one.
1. Report Phishing Emails
One of the simplest steps is reporting suspicious emails directly to Google. Phishing messages often imitate real organizations in an attempt to steal personal information. Therefore, users should avoid clicking any links or attachments inside such emails.
To report one, open the message and select the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner. Then choose “Report phishing” from the list. Gmail already tries to flag phishing messages automatically, but some still slip through. Reporting them helps Google analyze the message and prevent further abuse. The reported email moves to the Spam folder afterward. However, if a message gets reported by mistake, users can simply select “Report not phishing” from Spam.
2. Create Stricter Gmail Filters
Not every unwanted message is a phishing attempt, of course. Marketing emails and other promotional content can also flood an inbox quickly. Fortunately, these Gmail settings block scams and unwanted mail through customizable filters. To set one up, click the Gear icon, select “See all settings,” then go to “Filters and Blocked Addresses.”
From there, users can define conditions based on sender, subject line, message size or specific words. Once conditions are set, Gmail asks what action to take when a matching message arrives. Options include deleting, archiving, marking as read, or starring the email. For persistent unwanted senders, Rahul recommends simply choosing Delete.
3. Block Entire Domains When Necessary
Blocking a single email address often isn’t enough to stop a larger spam campaign. Instead, senders can easily create multiple addresses using the same domain. Rahul recommends filtering an entire domain whenever a clear pattern emerges.
Users can build this filter from the same “Filters and Blocked Addresses” section. Instead of entering one address, they can enter the domain using an asterisk before the @ sign. A separate filter can also be created if that domain needs a different action. However, Rahul warns against creating too many filters, since they can quickly become difficult to manage. Additionally, users should double-check every character before blocking a domain, since one mistake could filter out legitimate emails too.
4. Maintain and Review Gmail’s Blocklist
Gmail also lets users block individual senders directly. Simply open an email, click the three-dot menu, and select the block option. The sender receives no notification, but their future messages go straight to Spam instead of the inbox.
Blocked addresses can be reviewed anytime under Settings > See all settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses. Finally, users can unblock any address from this same page if someone was added by mistake. Once unblocked, future messages from that sender will return to the inbox as normal.
