How to Unsubscribe From Emails

Stop unwanted emails with a few easy steps

Mailing lists are a great way to stay updated on your favorite people, places, topics, and other things. However, sometimes interest in a mailing list goes away. When you no longer want to receive emails from a mailing list, you can unsubscribe. But, that's not always as simple as it sounds. We'll show you how to do it.

How to Stop Unwanted Emails

There are many ways to unsubscribe from mailing lists and stop unwanted emails from appearing in your inbox. The method you choose depends on the type of mailing list and your preferences.

  • Select the Unsubscribe link in the email message. This may be the easiest method. After you click the unsubscribe link, you’re automatically removed from the mailing list.
  • Mark an email from the mailing list as spam. This involves setting up rules in your email program to block messages that come from a specific email address.
  • Use an unsubscribe service. When you want to manage your mailing lists in one place, find an unsubscribe service that lists all of them.
  • Use an unsubscribe email app. If you access your email from a mobile device, there are several apps for Android, iOS, and Outlook that automatically unsubscribe you from mailing lists.

Select the Unsubscribe Link in the Email Message

As you browse through the emails in your inbox, you may notice one from a mailing list you no longer find interesting. Mailing lists are required to provide contact information in the email, and many offer an unsubscribe link. Use this link to remove your name from the mailing list quickly.

  1. Open your email app and select an email from the mailing list you want to unsubscribe from.

  2. Scroll to the bottom of the email and select the Unsubscribe link.

    A Gamil email message with the unsubscribe link in a mailing list email.
  3. A web page should open in your default browser and display a message saying you've successfully unsubscribed from the mailing list.

    The unsubscribe confirmation from a subscription mailing list.
  4. If prompted, select Unsubscribe to confirm you no longer want to receive emails from the mailing list.

  5. Alternatively, if you're using Gmail, it provides an Unsubscribe link in the header of emails from mailing lists.

    You can also find this Unsubscribe link in Outlook Online. 

    The unsubscribe link in a Gmail header.
  6. Select the Unsubscribe link.

  7. You should see a confirmation dialog box. Select Unsubscribe to confirm you want to be removed from the mailing list.

    The Unsubscribe confirmation notice displayed by the Gmail unsubscribe link
  8. You are now unsubscribed from the mailing list. Gmail should move the selected message to the Spam or Deleted Items folder.

Mark an Email From the Mailing List as Spam

If unsubscribing from the mailing list doesn’t keep all the emails out of your inbox, you can block that email address.

  1. Select an email from the mailing list.

  2. If you're using Gmail, select the Report spam icon. It looks like an exclamation point inside a hexagon. Or you can use the Report spam option found in the More menu.

    In Outlook Online, select Junk > Block. In Outlook 2019, go to Home and select Junk > Block Sender.

    Reporting an email from a mailing list as spam in Gmail.

    In Outlook Online, select Sweep to delete messages from the sender that are in your Inbox along with messages you receive in the future.

  3. These emails are marked as spam and are sent to the Junk or Deleted Items folders.

Use an Unsubscribe Service

If you subscribe to several mailing lists and you want to clean up your inbox all at once, use an unsubscribe service. There are several websites where you can access all your mailing lists in one place and unsubscribe from the ones you no longer want.

These services search your inbox to find messages with an unsubscribe link. To use them, you need to grant them access to your inbox.

One popular unsubscribe service is called, appropriately enough, Unsubscriber. To get started, sign up at the Unsubscriber website. After that, an Unsubscribe folder is added to your inbox.

Unsubscriber works with Outlook, Yahoo, AOL, and most IMAP enabled mailboxes, but it discontinued service for Gmail on March 31, 2019, due to changes in Gmail’s Terms of Service.

When an unwanted email is delivered to your inbox, drag it to the Unsubscribe folder. The sender is automatically notified that you no longer want to receive messages. Emails from these senders are blocked from your inbox and are stored in the Unsubscribe folder until you're unsubscribed from the mailing list.

The Unsubscribe folder added to Outlook.com by Unsubscriber

Use an Unsubscribe Email App

If you access your email from a mobile device, you can use an app to remove your email address from mailing lists.

Unroll.Me is a popular one that lists all of your subscription emails and provides a one-click method to unsubscribe from them. It also provides a way for you to group your favorite email subscriptions into a digest for easier reading. Unroll.Me has apps for Android and iOS. It also has a free online unsubscribe service. Sign in with your Google, Yahoo, Outlook, or AOL account and the app lists emails you’ve received from mailing lists. Just select the ones you want to unsubscribe from.

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