Block rules stop unwanted email from reaching your inbox. Email from a blocked address, domain, or pattern still arrives, but as a spam conversation that stays out of your inbox, with no auto reply and no notifications. Marking a conversation as spam blocks its sender's address for you.
Where to find it
Settings → Block rules. The page is called Blocking rules.
Block an address, a domain, or a pattern
The page has three cards. Each card shows how many values it blocks.
Card | Blocks | Example |
|---|---|---|
Email addresses | That exact address, in any capitalisation |
|
Domains | Every address at the domain and at its subdomains |
|
Patterns | Every address that matches a wildcard pattern |
|
On the card, select New email address, New domain, or New pattern. The card opens with the values it already blocks.
Type the value in the box and press Enter, or select Add. The value joins the list under the box. Nothing is blocked yet.
Add more values the same way. To drop one before saving, select ✕ next to it.
Select Save changes. The message Rules updated successfully appears, and the card shows the new count, for example 3 blocked.
Patterns use wildcards, not regular expressions, and match the whole email address:
*matches any characters,?matches one character, and[abc]matches one of the characters in the brackets.Include the
@part.*@*.promo-blast.ioblocks every subdomain ofpromo-blast.io, but notpromo-blast.ioitself; block the domain on the Domains card for that.
To stop blocking a value, select ✕ on it. It is removed at once, and the message Rule removed successfully appears.
Let trusted senders through
An exception lets an address or a domain through even when a block rule matches it. A domain exception also covers its subdomains.
Select Add exception. The Manage exceptions window opens.
Under Emails & domains, type an email address or a domain, then press Enter, Tab, or a comma. Add as many as you need.
Select Save. The message Exceptions updated successfully appears.
Mark a conversation as spam
Open the conversation and select Mark as spam (the octagon icon) in the header.
In Mark this email address as spam?, select Spam. The message Conversation marked as spam appears.
Reload the page. The conversation now shows a Spam label; it does not update on its own.
A spam conversation hides its reply box and the AI copilot, and it leaves your inbox. The sender's email address is added to Email addresses on the Block rules page, so their next email arrives as spam too. The conversation's status and assignee do not change.
Mark a conversation as not spam
Open the spam conversation and select Mark as not spam, the same button.
In Mark this conversation as not spam?, leave Unblock this email address off and select Not spam. The message Conversation removed from spam appears.
Reload the page. The Spam label is gone, and the conversation is back in your inbox.
The sender stays blocked. To let their email through again, remove their address from Email addresses on the Block rules page.
What happens to blocked email
ThriveDesk keeps it. The email arrives as a conversation marked spam by System, and you can open and read it.
No auto reply is sent, nobody is notified, and the AI agent does not answer it. It does not appear in your inbox's folders or counts.
When a sender with an open conversation is blocked, their next reply marks that whole conversation as spam.
New rules and exceptions apply to the next email that arrives.
Spam conversations are kept until you delete them. ThriveDesk does not delete them on its own.
Find spam conversations
Spam conversations are not in your inbox's folders. To list them:
In your inbox, select Show filters, the filter icon next to New conversation.
Select + Filter, then Spam. The filter Conversation is Spam is added, and the list shows your spam conversations.
To keep the list one click away, select Save and name the view.
Automations can use spam too: the condition Is spam checks it, and the action Mark as spam marks a conversation and blocks its sender, the same as the button.
Check the activity log
The Activity log under the cards lists every change to your block rules, newest first. Filter it by type (Emails, Domains, Patterns) or by action (Added, Removed).
Column | Shows |
|---|---|
Date | When the change was made |
Type |
|
Action | Added or Removed |
Values | The values changed; more than two fold into +n more |
By | The teammate, or System for an automation |
Source |
|
Saving a card, removing a value, and marking a conversation as spam are logged. Changes to exceptions and email that a rule blocked are not.
What you should see
Each card shows its count, for example 2 blocked, and its values. A conversation you marked as spam shows the Spam label and is gone from your inbox, and the sender's address is listed under Email addresses.
Common problems
Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The value on Email addresses is not a full address | Type the whole address, for example |
| The domain has an | Type the domain only, for example |
A trusted customer's email arrives as spam | A domain or pattern rule matches their address | Add their address or domain as an exception, then mark the conversation as not spam |
A blocked sender still reaches the inbox | They wrote from another address, or by live chat | Block the domain or a pattern; block rules only check email |
A pattern blocks nothing | It does not match the whole address, or it uses regular expression syntax | Include the |
The Spam label does not appear after Spam, or stays after Not spam | The conversation page does not update on its own yet | Reload the page |
| Unblock this email address does not work yet; the conversation stays spam | Turn the switch off and select Not spam, then remove the address from Email addresses |
| Your role does not have Block Rules Write | Ask an admin to turn on Block Rules Write for your role |
Questions
Are spam conversations deleted automatically?
No. ThriveDesk keeps spam conversations until you delete them. A deleted conversation goes to Trash, which is emptied after 30 days.
Does marking a conversation as not spam unblock the sender?
No. The address stays on Email addresses. Remove it there to let the sender's email through.
Can a pattern be a regular expression?
No. Patterns use wildcards only: *, ?, and [abc].
Do block rules apply to live chat?
No. Block rules check incoming email only.
Related
Create a custom view — add the Spam filter to keep spam conversations one click away.
Set up automations — mark conversations as spam automatically, or skip spam with Is spam.
Roles & permission — turn Block Rules Read and Block Rules Write on or off for each role.
Last verified: 2026-11-03