Ignore a sender, block a contact and use the spam filter
Three ways to stop unwanted messages: Ignore sender moves an email address to spam, Block contact drops everything one contact sends, and the spam filter catches words and senders. Web and iPhone app.
Updated October 7, 2026Also available in: Deutsch, Português
Deskwoot has three tools against unwanted messages. Ignore sender in Deskwoot puts an email address on the spam filter's list, so mail from it lands in the spam folder instead of your inbox. Block contact drops everything one contact sends, on every channel. The spam filter under Settings > Spam Filter catches messages by word or by sender for the whole workspace. You can ignore a sender and block a contact in the web dashboard and in the iPhone app. The spam filter settings and the spam folder are only in the web dashboard.
Which one to use
- Ignore sender in Deskwoot: for an email address you never want in the inbox again, such as a newsletter or a spammer. Their mail is kept in the spam folder, so you can bring a message back if it was a mistake.
- Block contact: for someone who should not reach your team at all. Their messages are not stored anywhere and get no answer, on any channel.
- Blocked Words: for spam emails that share a word or phrase, whoever sends them.
Ignore a sender
In the web dashboard:
- Open the email conversation.
- In the Details tab of the right panel, go to the CONTACT INFO section.
- Under the email address, click Ignore sender in Deskwoot.
- Confirm with Ignore sender in Deskwoot.
In the iPhone app, open the conversation, switch to the Details tab and tap Ignore sender in Deskwoot on the contact card at the top. Confirm with Ignore sender in Deskwoot.
What happens next:
- The address is added to Blocked Senders under Settings > Spam Filter.
- Every open, pending and snoozed conversation from that address moves to spam, whatever the channel. These conversations leave every list at once, and the places they took in your teammates' conversation limits go to the next conversation waiting in the queue.
- New emails from that address go straight to the spam folder, and so do live chat messages from a visitor who gave that address. Nobody is notified, nobody is assigned and your AI bot does not answer.
- You are taken back to the conversation list, and Sender has been ignored confirms it.
If some of the conversations could not be moved, the web dashboard shows "Sender ignored, but 2 of their conversations could not be moved to spam. Ignore the sender again to retry." and keeps the conversation open. Click Ignore sender in Deskwoot once more.
The button shows only in email conversations of a contact with an email address, and only for roles with the permission Manage email spam filter. Administrators have it, the standard Agent role does not. Ignoring a sender only moves conversations and catches new mail while Spam Protection is on, which it is in every new workspace.
Block a contact
In the web dashboard, open a conversation with the contact and click Block contact on the contact card at the top of the Details tab, then confirm with Block contact. The card then shows Blocked. You can also open the contact under Contacts, click Block contact and confirm with Block.
In the iPhone app, open the conversation, switch to the Details tab and tap Block on the contact card. Confirm with Block, and the card shows Blocked.
What a block does:
- New messages from the contact are dropped on every channel: live chat, email, WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS, LINE, X and the REST API. Nothing is stored, nobody on your team is notified and the contact gets no reply.
- The block covers every email address and phone number saved on the contact, not just the one they last wrote from.
- An open live chat with them closes.
- Your AI bot does not answer them, and campaigns skip them.
- Their existing conversations stay as they are. Resolve them yourself if you want them out of your list.
To lift the block, click Unblock contact on the contact card in the web dashboard, Unblock on the contact page, or Unblock in the app. New messages reach your inbox again on every channel. Messages sent while the contact was blocked do not come back, because they were never stored.
Blocking needs the permission Manage contacts (create, edit), which the standard Agent role includes.
Set up the spam filter
Go to Settings > Spam Filter. The page needs the permission Manage email spam filter and has two tabs, Settings and Spam Folder. Every change on the Settings tab saves right away.
- Spam Protection switches the whole filter on or off for the workspace.
- Blocked Words: type a word or phrase and click Add. Emails that contain it go to spam. Deskwoot checks the subject, the sender name and the text the sender wrote themselves, not quoted replies or signatures. Only whole words match: "DA" blocks "DA 50" but not "data" or "today". A word with capital letters matches only that exact spelling, a word in lowercase matches any spelling.
- Blocked Senders: type an email address or a whole domain, for example example.com, and click Add. Click the x next to an entry to remove it.
- Suggested Blocklist: common spam phrases you can add with + Add.
Blocked words apply to email only. On live chat and the messaging channels they are skipped, so a customer who waits for an answer is never caught by a word. Blocked senders apply to email and to live chat visitors who gave that address.
When the lists change, Deskwoot also checks your open, pending and snoozed conversations and moves the ones that match to spam. If some could not be moved, you see "Saved, but 2 matching conversations could not be moved to spam. Save again to retry."
The spam folder
The Spam Folder tab lists the 50 newest caught messages with the sender, the subject, the rule that matched and the date. Messages from blocked contacts are not in it, because a block stores nothing.
Click Not Spam to bring a message back. Its conversation moves back to Open in your inbox with the caught messages it holds, and goes through auto assignment like a new conversation. The sender stays on Blocked Senders, so remove them there if their next messages should reach the inbox.
Conversations in spam do not show in the inbox lists, the folder counts or the reports, and they do not count toward your plan's monthly conversation limit.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Ignore sender and Block contact?
Ignore sender in Deskwoot works on an email address: their mail is kept in the spam folder and can be brought back. Block contact works on the person: everything they send on any channel is dropped and never stored. Ignoring needs Manage email spam filter, blocking needs Manage contacts (create, edit).
Does the sender find out?
No. An ignored sender's email is accepted as usual and nothing tells them it went to spam. A blocked contact gets no reply, and their live chat simply closes.
Why don't I see Ignore sender in Deskwoot?
It shows only in email conversations of a contact with an email address, and only when your role has Manage email spam filter. For live chat or WhatsApp, use Block contact instead.
Can I block a whole domain?
Yes. Add the domain, for example example.com, under Blocked Senders in Settings > Spam Filter. Every address at that domain then goes to spam. Block contact always covers one contact.
How do I undo Ignore sender?
Remove the address under Blocked Senders in Settings > Spam Filter. Then open the Spam Folder tab and click Not Spam on the messages you want back in the inbox.
Do blocked words work on WhatsApp or live chat?
No. Blocked words apply to email only. To stop one person on any channel, block the contact.
Can I change the spam filter in the iPhone app?
No. The app has Ignore sender in Deskwoot and Block on the contact card. The word and sender lists, Spam Protection and the spam folder are only in the web dashboard.
Do spam conversations count toward my monthly limit?
No. Conversations in spam are left out of the monthly conversation limit, the reports and the folder counts until you click Not Spam.