How to Block an Email Address in Norton 360

The current Norton 360 app no longer has a blocked senders list. Norton removed its AntiSpam feature when it moved customers to the new Norton 360 app, so today you block an email address in your email service or email program instead. If your computer still runs the older Norton app, the list is at Settings > AntiSpam > Filter > Blocked List > Configure > Add.

This guide explains how to tell which Norton app you have, how the Blocked List works in the older app, and how to block a sender in Outlook or Gmail when Norton can no longer do it.

What changed in Norton 360

Older versions of Norton 360 for Windows included Norton AntiSpam, a spam filter that plugged into Microsoft Outlook. It kept two lists: an Allowed List for senders you trust and a Blocked List for senders you never want to hear from.

Norton has since replaced that app with a redesigned one. In its article Learn more about the new Norton 360 app, Norton says it removed the AntiSpam functionality and replaced it with Email Protection, which works with any email program rather than only Outlook. The removal applies to the spam filter itself; the other email security features were kept.

The practical result is simple. Email Protection checks messages and attachments for threats, but it does not offer a list where you type an address to block. Norton also says you cannot go back to the previous version of the desktop app once you have been upgraded.

Check which Norton app you have

You do not need a version number. Look at how the Settings area is laid out.

• New Norton 360 app: Settings is in the left pane and has a Features tab. Under Security, the Antivirus section has an Email Protection tab. There is no AntiSpam entry.
• Older Norton app: you may first see a My Norton window with an Open button next to Device Security. The Settings window that follows includes an AntiSpam option.

If you see Email Protection and no AntiSpam, skip to the Outlook and Gmail sections below. If the Norton AntiSpam toolbar has disappeared from Outlook, that is the same change, and nothing is broken.

How to block an email address in the older Norton app

These steps only apply if your Settings window still shows AntiSpam. Norton’s remaining AntiSpam help pages describe this path for its Windows product. Exact wording can differ a little between older releases.

Before you start: Norton AntiSpam only filtered mail that arrived in a supported desktop email program on that computer, mainly Microsoft Outlook. It never affected webmail opened in a browser or mail on your phone. If you read mail in more than one place, blocking the sender in your email service covers all of them.

1. Open your Norton device security product. If the My Norton window appears, click Open next to Device Security.
2. In the Norton main window, click Settings.
3. In the Settings window, click AntiSpam.
4. On the Filter tab, find the Blocked List row and click Configure.
5. In the Blocked List window, click Add.
6. Type the email address you want to block. You can also type a name to help you recognize the entry later.
7. Click OK to close the dialog box, then click OK again to save the list.

From then on, Norton AntiSpam treats mail from that address as spam when it arrives in the protected email program. The Blocked List can hold a whole domain as well as a single address, which helps when a sender keeps changing the part before the @ sign. A domain is the part of an address after the @ sign, such as example.com.

Edit or remove a blocked address

Go back to Settings > AntiSpam > Filter and click Configure in the Blocked List row. Select the entry, then click Edit to correct a typo or Remove to unblock the sender. Click OK to save.

One detail from Norton’s page on Address Book Exclusions is worth knowing. Deleting an address that was imported from your email program’s address book puts it on the Address Book Exclusions list, so it is not imported again. Addresses you typed in yourself are just removed.

Block a sender in Outlook instead

Outlook has its own blocked senders list, and it does not depend on Norton. The full process is in Block a mail sender in Outlook.

The quick way is to right-click a message from the sender, then select Block > Block Sender.

To add an address without having a message from it, use the list directly:

1. On the Home tab, in the Delete group, select Block, then select Junk E-mail Options.
2. Open the Blocked Senders tab and select Add.
3. Enter a full address, such as someone@example.com, or a domain, such as @example.com.
4. Select OK. Repeat for each entry you want to add.

Blocking does not stop the message from being delivered. Mail from a blocked sender is moved to the Junk Email folder instead of your inbox, so it is worth checking that folder now and then for mistakes. To undo a block, return to the Blocked Senders tab, select the entry and choose Remove.

On a work or school account, addresses in your organization’s address book are treated as safe and cannot be added to the blocked list. If you use Outlook on the web, its junk email settings also let you block attachments, pictures and links from unknown senders in Outlook.com.

<p>Our separate guide on <a href=”https://www.solveyourtech.com/block-sender-outlook/”>blocking a sender in Outlook</a> covers new Outlook, the web, Mac, and the phone app as well.</p>

Block a sender in Gmail instead

Google’s steps are in Block an email address in Gmail.

1. On your computer, open Gmail and open a message from the sender.
2. At the top right of the message, next to Reply, click More.
3. Click Block followed by the sender’s name.

After that, future messages from the sender go to Spam. To review or undo blocks, open Settings > See all settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses, check the box next to the sender and click Unblock selected addresses.

AOL users can block a sender from the message’s More menu instead, and can also protect against unknown senders in AOL Mail.

Unblocking, domain filters and cleanup tips are in the full walkthrough on how to block an email address in Gmail.

Reading mail on a phone? We have separate steps for blocking an email sender on an iPhone.

What Norton 360 still does for email

The new app does not block senders by address, but it still protects mail in two ways, both covered in the guide to protecting against phishing emails.

• Email Protection (Windows) scans the attachments of incoming and outgoing messages for threats. Its options are at Settings > Features > Antivirus > Email Protection, including Scan inbound emails (POP3, IMAP4) and Scan outbound emails (SMTP).
• Norton Safe Email works in the cloud and flags messages as safe or potentially suspicious before you open them. It covers up to five email addresses, only scans mail received after you connect the account, and is limited to plans that include Scam Protection Pro.

Neither one is a blocklist. They are aimed at dangerous mail, not at mail you just do not want. If you need to change the scanning behavior, you can turn off email scanning in Norton 360.

Troubleshooting

• There is no AntiSpam option in Settings. Your computer has the new Norton 360 app. The feature was removed, so there is nothing to turn back on. Block the sender in Outlook, Gmail or your other email service.
• The Norton toolbar is gone from Outlook. This is an expected result of replacing AntiSpam with Email Protection.
• A blocked sender still gets through. Blocking matches the address exactly. Spammers often change addresses, so check the real address in the message header and consider blocking the domain if every message comes from the same one. Do not block a common domain such as gmail.com, because that catches everyone who uses it.
• Blocked mail still shows up on your phone or in webmail. A block made in a desktop program only applies to that program. Add the block in the email service itself.
• Your email program shows a certificate warning after the Norton upgrade. Some third-party email programs need extra configuration because Email Protection scans mail sent over secure connections. Norton’s article about the new app links to the fix.

Frequently asked questions

Next step

Open Norton and check whether Settings shows AntiSpam or Email Protection. Then add your block in the place that matches. If Norton flagged a file from an email attachment, look for it among the quarantined files in Norton 360. If scans interrupt your work, you can also temporarily disable the Norton 360 background scan.