Report spam in Gmail

In Gmail, you can report unwanted emails as spam. Emails you report as spam are added to Spam. As you report more spam, Gmail identifies similar emails as spam more efficiently.

Report emails as spam

Important: When you report spam or move an email into Spam, Google receives a copy of the email and may analyze it to help protect users from spam and abuse.

1. On your computer, open Gmail.
2. Select one or more emails.
3. At the top, click Report spam .

Tip: If you signed up to receive messages from a specific sender and no longer want them, click Unsubscribe or Go to website. Learn how to block or unsubscribe from emails.

Delete spam

1. On your computer, open Gmail.
2. In the main menu, on the left, click More Spam.
3. At the top, click Delete all spam messages now.
   • You can also select specific emails you want to remove, then click Delete forever.

Remove an email from Spam

If you incorrectly reported an email as spam, you can remove it from Spam:

1. On your computer, open Gmail.
2. In the main menu, on the left, click More Spam.
3. Check the box next to the email that you want to remove.
4. At the top, click Not spam.

Prevent valid emails from going to Spam

Important: When you block a sender, even when you remove their emails from Spam, Gmail still automatically identifies their emails as spam.

If Gmail automatically sends emails from people you know to Spam, you can:

• Remove the email from Spam: After you remove the email, future emails from that sender won’t go to Spam.
• Add the sender to your contacts: When you add the sender to Google Contacts, Gmail stops sending their messages to Spam. Learn how to add, move, or import contacts.
• Create a filter: For specific senders, you can create a filter to label their email as important or another option that you choose. Learn how to create rules to filter your emails.

Learn more about types of Gmail spam

In Spam, you can:

• Get suspicious emails that Gmail automatically identified as spam.
• Find emails that you identify as spam.
• Find a warning at the top of each email that explains why Gmail sent it to Spam.

Spoofed email addresses

What this warning means

The email address looks very similar to the email address of a known sender. For example, the email address may replace the letter "O" with the number "0."

What to do if you get this warning

Do not reply to the email or open any links until you can verify that the email address is correct.

Tip: If you notice a spoofed email address, but it’s not marked with a warning, be sure to report it as spam.

Phishing scams

What this warning means

The email may be a trick to get you to share personal information, like passwords or credit card numbers.

What to do if you get this warning

• Do not reply to the email or open any links.
• If you aren't sure the email is from a trusted sender, report the email as phishing.

Tip: Google won't ask for personal information over email. Learn how to avoid and report Google scams.

Messages from an unconfirmed sender

What this warning means

Gmail can't confirm who sent you the email. For more info, check if your Gmail message is authenticated.

What to do if you get this warning

• Do not reply to the email or open any links.
• If you aren't sure the email is from a trusted sender, report the email as phishing.

If you're sure that the message is from a trusted sender:

• Select Report not spam.
• To prevent messages from a trusted sender from going to your Spam folder, you can remove the warning from their messages.

Administrator-set policies

What this warning means

If you use Gmail through your work, school, or organization, your admin might set controls to mark certain emails as spam.

What to do if you get this warning

If you see emails that are incorrectly marked as spam, contact your admin.

You tried to unsubscribe from this sender

What this warning means

If someone sends an email after you unsubscribe, their emails go directly to Spam.

What to do if you get this warning

If you don't want these emails sent to Spam, remove their email from Spam.

Messages content is empty

What this warning means

To check whether email addresses are valid, spammers often send emails with no content in the body or subject. Then, they send spam to those addresses later.

What to do if you get this warning

• If the email looks suspicious, do not reply. You can report it as spam or phishing.
• If the email is from someone you know and you think someone sent it by mistake, report the email as not spam.

Emails you sent to Spam

What this warning means

When you report an email as spam, it's moved from your inbox to Spam. Emails from the same sender might be sent to the Spam folder in the future.

What to do if you get this warning

• If you don't want the email in Spam, remove it. All future emails from the sender won’t go to Spam.
• If you mistakenly report the message as phishing, report it as not phishing.

Spam attack on your Gmail account

What this warning means

If you get many unwanted emails, like subscriptions or promotional offers, a hacker tries to fill up your Inbox. You won’t find important security alerts from websites or services you signed up for with your Gmail account.

For example, if a hacker tries to get into your bank account, your bank can notify you by email. But if your Inbox is full of junk mail, you might miss the bank’s alert.

What to do if you get this warning

• For security alerts, respond to the emails you find after you search your inbox and Spam.
• Perform a Google Security Checkup.
• Follow Gmail security tips.

Spam from one of your contacts

If someone sends you spam from your Google Contacts list, a hacker has taken over their account.

1. Do not respond to the email.
2. From the spam alert, report the email.
   • This action sends a report to the Gmail team to investigate. You'll continue to get emails from this contact in the future.
3. Let your contact know their email account may be hacked and suggest they follow Gmail security tips.

Related resources

• Gmail security tips
• Gmail marks valid email messages as spam
• Check the security of your emails