How to Block a Contact on Your Mac

Block a contact through the Contacts app or Messages

On a Mac, you can block a contact in two places depending on how that person usually reaches you. If they email you, use the Mail app. If they text or call through iMessage, use the Messages app or Contacts app. Blocking prevents them from sending you messages, making FaceTime calls, or reaching you through iMessage — but it does not stop regular phone calls or SMS texts if you have those enabled on your Mac.

The fastest route is through the Contacts app. Open Contacts, find the person's name, right-click it, and select "Block Contact" from the menu. That single action blocks them across Messages and FaceTime at the same time. If you change your mind later, you can unblock them the same way — right-click the name and choose "Unblock Contact".

If you want to block someone only in Messages without touching your Contacts app, open Messages, find the conversation, right-click the person's name at the top of the chat window, and select "Block This Contact". This method works if you do not have them saved as a contact yet, or if you want to block them only in that one app.

Key Takeaways

• Right-click a contact's name in the Contacts app and select "Block Contact" to block them across Messages and FaceTime at once.
• Blocking prevents iMessage, FaceTime, and Messages from reaching you, but does not stop regular phone calls or SMS texts.
• You can block someone in Messages alone by right-clicking their name in a conversation and choosing "Block This Contact".
• Unblocking works the same way — right-click the contact and select "Unblock Contact" whenever you want to restore communication.

Block someone in Mail

If someone is emailing you and you want to stop receiving their messages, open Mail and find an email from that person. Click the email to open it, then click the sender's name or email address at the top. A small menu will appear — select "Block Contact" from the options.

Once you block an email sender, their future messages go directly to your Junk folder instead of your inbox. Emails they sent before you blocked them stay where they are — blocking does not delete old messages. If you want to remove those old emails, you will need to delete them yourself.

What happens when you block someone

When you block a contact on your Mac, the behavior depends on which app and which type of message they are trying to send. In Messages and FaceTime, a blocked contact will not see a "delivered" status when they try to reach you — their message or call attempt simply fails silently on their end. They do not receive a notification that they are blocked.

In Mail, blocked senders' messages still arrive at Apple's servers, but they skip your inbox and land in Junk instead. You can still see them if you check your Junk folder, and you can manually move them back to your inbox if you change your mind. This is different from Messages, where blocked contacts cannot reach you at all through that app.

Blocking is not the same as muting a conversation. If you mute a chat in Messages, you still receive the messages — you just do not get notifications about them. Blocking stops the messages from arriving in the first place.

Unblock a contact if you change your mind

To unblock someone, open the Contacts app, find their name, right-click it, and select "Unblock Contact". They will immediately be able to reach you through Messages and FaceTime again. If you blocked them only in Mail, open Mail, go to your Junk folder, find an email from them, click their name, and select "Unblock Contact".

There is no waiting period or confirmation step — unblocking takes effect right away. The person you unblocked will not receive a notification that you have unblocked them. They will only know if they try to contact you and their message goes through.

Block a contact who is not in your address book

You do not need someone saved in your Contacts app to block them. In Messages, you can block a phone number or email address even if you have never communicated with them before. Open Messages, click "File" in the menu bar, select "New Message", type or paste the phone number or email address you want to block, then right-click it and choose "Block This Contact".

In Mail, you can block an email address the same way — open an email from that sender and click "Block Contact" on their name. If you do not have an email from them yet, you can add them to your blocked list by opening Mail preferences, going to the "Junk Mail" tab, and manually entering their address in the "Block all mail from these senders" section.

Manage your blocked contacts list

To see everyone you have blocked, open System Settings (or System Preferences on older Macs), click "General" in the sidebar, then scroll down and click "Blocked Contacts". This shows all the people you have blocked across Messages, FaceTime, and Contacts. From this screen, you can select anyone and click the minus button to unblock them.

This central list does not include email addresses you have blocked in Mail — those are managed separately in Mail's Junk Mail settings. To see your Mail blocks, open Mail, go to the menu bar, click "Mail", select "Preferences", click the "Junk Mail" tab, and look at the "Block all mail from these senders" section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone tell if I have blocked them?

No. In Messages and FaceTime, their message or call attempt simply fails without any notification to them. In Mail, they will not know their emails are going to Junk — they will only notice if they do not hear back from you and try a different way to reach you.

Will blocking delete old messages from that person?

No. Blocking only stops new messages from reaching you. Old conversations stay in your Messages or Mail app. You can delete them yourself if you want, but blocking does not do that automatically.

What if someone blocks me — will I know?

In Messages, your message will not show a "delivered" status and you will not get a read receipt. In Mail, you will not know for certain, but if someone never replies and you cannot reach them through other apps, they may have blocked you. There is no way to confirm it directly.

Can I block someone on my Mac but not on my iPhone?

If you use the same Apple ID on both devices, blocking syncs across them — when you block someone on your Mac, they are blocked on your iPhone too. If you want different blocking rules on each device, you would need to use separate Apple IDs, which is not practical for most people.

Does blocking stop regular phone calls?

No. Blocking on your Mac only affects Messages, FaceTime, and Mail. Regular phone calls and SMS texts are not blocked by your Mac settings. To block phone calls and texts, you need to use your iPhone's built-in blocking feature or contact your phone carrier.