Yahoo! Mail Tutorials

Advanced Chat Features

Personalizing Chat Customizing Chat Blocking Chat Messages Unblocking Chat Messages Chatting with Windows Live Users If You Use Yahoo! Messenger

Blocking Chat Messages

There always seems to be a few unwanted, uninvited people who find a way into your space. Yahoo! Mail gives you a couple of options for blocking unwanted chats:

 

Here’s How

To block messages from everyone who’s not your contact:

  1. Select Mail Options from the Options menu.

    Select Mail Options from the Options menu.

    The General options page appears.

  2. On the left side of the mail options page, select the Spam option.

    Select the Spam option.

  3. On the Spam options page, select Block chat messages from anyone who is not in my Contacts option in the Block Chat IDs section.

    Select the option to block all unknown contactsEnlarge

  4. Click the Save Changes button to save your settings.

    Click the Save Changes button.

    Now only people who are in your Yahoo! Contacts are allowed to start chats with you.

 

To block messages from specific people:

  1. Select Block chat messages only from the people listed below option in the Block Chat IDs section of the Spam options page. (Remind me how.)

    Select the option to block messages only from specific senders.Enlarge

  2. If a chat arrives from someone who isn’t in your Contacts, Yahoo! Mail displays an alert when you click the conversation tab. To block the sender, click the Block Sender button.

    Click the Block Sender button.

    The conversation tab goes away, and a message tells you that the sender’s ID has been added to your Blocked list.

    Tip: If you click the Show Message button, the conversation tab opens where you can chat with the person and add the person’s information to your Yahoo! Contacts by clicking the Add Contact button.

  3. If you want to block a contact while in the conversation tab, do the following:

    • Click the Block Sender button at the top of the tab.

      Click the Block Sender button.

      A confirmation window opens.

      Note: If you’re a Yahoo! Messenger user, you can’t block contacts who are on your Messenger List until your remove them from that list. An alert will let you know if the person you are trying to block is on your Messenger List. (For information about removing contacts from your Messenger List, click here.)

    • In the confirmation window, click the Block button.

      Click the Block button.

      The conversation tab goes away, and a message tells you that the sender’s ID has been added to your blocked list.

 

What’s Next

Don’t worry, if someone you’ve blocked from chatting gets back on your good side again, you can just unblock his or her Yahoo! ID and chat away.

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Words to Know

  • Messenger List: a list of coworkers, friends, family, and associates who also use Messenger.
  • Yahoo! Contacts: a listing of people and their email addresses associated with each Yahoo! Mail account; also known as Address Book.
  • Yahoo! ID: the name by which a person is known to all Yahoo! networks.
  • Yahoo! Messenger: an application that lets you communicate using your voice, text, or other means with one or more people over the Internet in real time (instantly).