Kim, does hitting ‘unsubscribe’ work?

May 30, 2024

Here’s the lowdown on how to stop getting emails you don’t want — without opening yourself up to more junk.

With reputable companies, clicking unsubscribe should do the trick. If you’re receiving newsletters or promotional emails from brands you know, they generally follow email marketing regulations.

For unsolicited spam from unknown senders, unsubscribing may indeed make things worse. By clicking that link, you inadvertently confirm your email address is active, which could lead to even more spam.

‘How do I know what to pick?’

Stick to familiar ground. If the email’s from a trusted source (think brands you’ve shopped with or newsletters you’ve signed up for), go ahead and hit “Unsubscribe.”

If it’s a random email about a long-lost prince or a miracle cure, steer clear of clicking the unsubscribe link. Mark the email as spam in your email client.

• For Outlook: Select the messages you want to report as junk, then, from the top toolbar, select Report > Report Junk.
• For Apple Mail: On your iPhone or iPad, swipe left on the message, tap More, then Move to Junk.
• For Gmail: Select one or more emails, then click Report spam.

🕶️ And don’t forget to use your provider’s built-in features to keep your real email address private. Apple’s Hide My Email is sweet, and Gmail lets you create unlimited aliases. Here’s how to use both.