We’ve all received unwanted emails that we end up blocking. It’s the power you have over things that are irrelevant to you. Don’t want to be spammed by phishing sites? Block. Don’t want to see newsletters from sites you don’t remember subscribing to? Block. Want to ignore people who email you unnecessarily? Block.

But what if the tables are turned and you’re the one being blocked? And how can you even know if you’ve been blocked? Here’s everything you need to know to determine if someone has blocked your email on Gmail and what that means.

Unfortunately, there is no direct way to know if someone has blocked you on Gmail. The only way is to take a roundabout approach and use your best judgment. Here’s how to do that:

On your PC, open your browser and log in to Gmail if you haven't already. Then click 'Compose' in the top left corner.