How to Safely Unsubscribe From Unwanted Emails, Texts

At the least, by clicking Unsubscribe, you’ll confirm your email address is valid and invite future spam. Instead, block the message.

Flagging an email as spam or junk varies among devices, operating systems and mobile carriers, but one of these options should work for you. You can also block a text or phone call.

Email. On many email programs, such as Apple Mail, Google’s Gmail, Microsoft Outlook and Yahoo! Mail, you can flag an email as spam by pressing on it in your inbox and selecting Block sender, Mark or the Move-to-folder icon in the middle of the bottom row of icons | Junk or Report spam. On a computer, you can also right-click a message and select Block sender, Junk, Label as spam or Report | Report junk. The method that is on your device will delete all flagged emails and send future spam from the same sender directly to junk mail.

Both Apple Mail on iPhones, left, and Gmail on desktop will display Unsubscribe links at the tops of email they detect as newsletters or marketing, making it easier for you to unsubscribe.

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Text. On many smartphones or tablets, press the text message and an option to Block will appear. On Androids, you may need to tap the three vertical dots ⋮ or Options at the top of the screen and then select Block. If this doesn’t work, tap the phone number, tap it again at the top or on the person’s name if they’re in your Contacts and tap Info | Block caller or Block this caller.

Blocking isn’t always a fail-safe solution

If you continue to receive the same types of emails from a company or person after you’ve blocked them, you’re likely dealing with a shady operation. You’ll have to take extra precautions.

Some sophisticated scams involve computer programs that constantly change the email address or phone number for spam emails or texts. To filter out suspicious-looking messages, most mail programs let you increase the intensity of the filtering to predict spam.

Microsoft Windows. In Outlook on a PC, click Junk at the top of the screen | Junk email options and change the protection from low to high.

Apple Macs. In the Mail app on a Mac, open the program and choose Mail | Settings | Junk mail, then verify that Enable junk mail filtering is selected.

Other platforms. Spam-filter tweaks may appear in Settings or Options. Sometimes this is a slider for you to move from medium to strong. The more aggressive the spam filter, the better chance legitimate emails will get flagged as junk.

You should scan your spam folder regularly for anything you want to save. Some programs allow you to move legitimate mail to your inbox for safekeeping, and it learns which bulk-email senders are valuable to you.

To block an unknown texter on an iPhone, you must navigate through three screens to Block this Caller and then confirm that you wish to Block Contact.

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Some email applications do the work for you

Your email program may detect spam correspondence or text messages on its own.  

Apple Mail. A small tab should pop up at the top of an email when you’ve opened it, asking if you want to Unsubscribe.

Gmail. Use the Unsubscribe link next to the subject line in your email inbox. If it’s not there, click the three vertical dots ⋮ | Unsubscribe.

Microsoft Outlook. Outlook gives an option to Unsubscribe at the top of an opened email that’s detected to be sent to multiple people. Or you can mark it to Report messages as junk or phishing.

Yahoo! Mail. On the website, look for Views on the left-hand side | Subscriptions | Unsubscribe. On the Yahoo! Mail app, tap Subscriptions at the bottom of the screen to unsubscribe.

How to avoid spam altogether

1. Create a free email address separate from your personal or professional one to sign up for loyalty points, newsletters or promotions. This segregates marketing messages from your other inboxes.

2. Install anti-malware software, which you should have anyway, as an extra line of defense from unwanted messages.

3. Investigate services that help you stop subscriptions, which give you more control and options, such as batch unsubscribing. Popular ones include Clean Email, Leave Me Alone and Unroll.Me.

4. Stop receiving unwanted texts from a legitimate business, such as a retailer, by texting back Stop or Unsubscribe. This usually does the trick.

5. Find out if your wireless carrier has free apps to detect robocalls, spam calls and spam texts. Examples are AT&T ActiveArmor, T-Mobile’s Scam Shield and Verizon’s Call Filter. Other options include Nomorobo, Robokiller and Truecaller.

This story, published May 2, 2022, was updated to reflect new instructions for email software programs and smartphone models.