Does Unsubscribing from Emails Work—and Is It Safe to Do?
I have a confession to make: My Gmail account has 10,487 unread emails, and my old AOL account, which I ditched a few years ago, has more than 101,000. Although I’m well acquainted with standard tech tips to get the most out of my devices, I’ve spent hours clicking “unsubscribe” and “delete,” only to find that I still have thousands of unwanted messages to chip away at. Inbox zero feels like an unattainable goal. And as I search for the few emails I actually want to receive, a common question arises: Does unsubscribing from emails work?
In an ideal world, the answer would be yes. But that’s often not the case. As privacy engineer Jayati Dev, PhD, notes, “it’s a challenging task. There are so many emails to manage, and unsubscribing from each of them is really hard.”
Hitting “unsubscribe” or opting for an unsubscribe service might seem like a smart first step, but there are issues with both of these methods for reasons we’ll unspool. What’s more, spam emails require a different approach than automated messages from reputable businesses. I spoke to four experts in data security, privacy and email marketing to learn about their concerns. Read on to learn why pressing “unsubscribe” isn’t always safe or effective, plus how to actually get rid of junk email.
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Does unsubscribing from emails work?
“It certainly should,” says Joe Jones, the director of research and insights for the International Association of Privacy Professionals. “Organizations are required under applicable privacy laws to make unsubscribing just as easy as subscribing.”
According to the Federal Trade Commission’s CAN-SPAM Act, businesses that use email for commercial messages must clearly tell recipients how to opt out of receiving future marketing emails. The notice should be crafted in a way that’s easy for an ordinary person to recognize, read and understand, it says.
How to unsubscribe from legit emails
According to a paper published in Web Search and Data Mining, of the emails in your inbox that are not spam, 90% are automated messages. Which means taking back control of your inbox can be tedious and difficult. But here’s the good news: If you’re attempting to opt out of emails from reputable companies sending newsletters, surveys or promotional materials, clicking “unsubscribe” and following the prompts should work.
Keep in mind that unsubscribe buttons are often hidden at the bottom of emails in tiny or grayed-out type, Jones notes. This is an example of what experts call dark patterns, aka deceptive design, which makes it harder to consent to what you actually want. If you want to find a hidden unsubscribe link, hold down “Ctrl” (or “Command” on a Mac), press “F” and then type “unsubscribe.”
After you go through the unsubscribing process, marketers have 10 business days to honor your request, per the CAN-SPAM Act. If you continue to receive emails from them, you can mark them as spam.
The risks of unsubscribing from spam emails
While federal regulations require companies to make unsubscribing from emails simple, there are circumstances in which it’s not so safe to press “unsubscribe.” And they have to do with spam.
According to some surveys, the average inbox can be as much as 45% to 50% spam. Other surveys put it as high as 85%. Unfortunately, you simply cannot trust links in these spam emailsnot every “unsubscribe” button does what it says it will do. Here’s what you need to know about spam emails and the links you should never trust.
You might click a malicious link
Think twice before hitting the “unsubscribe” button in a pesky spam email, cybersecurity experts say. While emails from reputable companies are safe, others cannot be trusted.
“Just like any business, spammers want a high return on investment,” says Charles Henderson, executive vice president of cybersecurity services for Coalfire, a cybersecurity and compliance company. Attaching a fake link to unsubscribe is one of the best ways for scammers to make sure their email hits its mark. And by clicking it, you could be falling for an online scam.
You could end up on a spam website
Cybercriminals often use phony “unsubscribe” links to bring users to malicious web pages. Even links with seemingly familiar URLs are not always safe, according to Henderson. “Spam emails continue to get better and better over time,” he says. “Spammers can create custom URLs, or use a popular URL with a slight typo to trick the user it’s a trusted site.”
He suggests hovering over the link with your mouse before clicking. If the URL looks strange or is misspelled, mark the email as spam or junk through your email’s interface instead.
You may confirm that your email address is active
Another problem: You could be giving away valuable intel. Clicking links in junk emails may seem like a simple way to clean your inbox, but doing so could actually make the spam problem worse. By clicking on a fake link in a spam email, you might be confirming to the spammer that your email address is correct, active and checked on a regular basis.
When hackers get your email address, they can sell your contact information to other cybercriminals or gain access to more of your personal data, among other nefarious things.
You could receive even more spam
Once cybercriminals know that your email address is active, they are more likely to continue contacting you and plaguing your inbox with spammy emails. In this sense, clicking the “unsubscribe” link can sometimes result in an even more frustratingly full inbox.
Hackers can download malware
On top of compromising your email account, hitting the “unsubscribe” button in a spam email could also compromise your computer. Hackers might take the opportunity to download a virus to your PC or Mac instead of removing your email from their mailing list. If you accidentally click on a malicious link from a spammer, Jones recommends running health checks on your device and across your accounts in case there’s been a data breach or similar incident.
You may also want to make better efforts to protect your digital privacy and identity and to safeguard your devices and sensitive information by using stronger passwords or adding two-factor authentication.
Hackers can spy on and impersonate you
A virus or other malware on your computer can spell serious trouble for your digital privacy. “If malware is deployed, the spammers can often see everything you’re doing on your computer, including capturing keystrokes for your passwords and banking information,” according to Henderson. Once your computer is hacked, cybercriminals can use that information to impersonate you online, he says. Spyware can lead to financial loss from identity theft or credit card fraud as well.
How to safely unsubscribe from spam emails
While you should breathe easy about unsubscribing from legitimate emails, you are better off avoiding anything questionable that lands in your inbox. There’s no way to safely unsubscribe from spam emails because they aren’t coming from legitimate senders who will respect your wishes. For better online security, avoid clicking the “unsubscribe” button or any link in an email that you don’t trust. It’s just not safe.
How to get rid of junk mail without unsubscribing
Henderson suggests deleting untrusted emails or blocking them for good by marking them as spam or junk. “If you are still considering clicking a URL, before you do so, hover over it to see the website it’s directing you to and ask yourself if you trust it. If not, don’t click it,” he says.
Here’s how to mark emails as spam or junk:
- In Outlook: Select “Report” and then “Report Junk.”
- In Apple Mail: Swipe left on the message, select “More” and then “Move to Junk.”
- In Gmail: Click the “!” icon and “Report spam.”
FAQs
Is it better to unsubscribe or mark it as spam?
It depends, says Dev, who authored a study on the barriers to unsubscribing from emails. If it’s a legitimate company, they usually have an unsubscribing process you can follow that should work. If the sender is untrustworthy or spammy, clicking “unsubscribe” may not work. In that case, mark the email as spam or junk.
Is it better to block spam emails or just delete them?
It’s a good idea to block them, says Dev. This teaches your spam filters that messages like these should be marked as spam and filtered out of your inbox.
What will happen if I unsubscribe from emails?
After you unsubscribe from legitimate emails, you should stop receiving them within 10 business days. If you continue to receive them after that, mark them as spam.
Should you use an unsubscribe service?
Unsubscribe services like Clean Email, Leave Me Alone, Mailstrom and Unroll.me can be helpful because they unsubscribe from services in bulk, says Dev. However, she notes, there are potential privacy concerns to consider. Unsubscribe services should not be collecting any more data than they need to clear your inbox. If, for example, they’re requesting access to location data, you may want to opt for a different service to protect your privacy.
Why do I still get emails after unsubscribing?
You may still receive emails after unsubscribing because you are on another mailing list for the same company, says Carl Chandler, CIPP/E, a certified privacy expert who worked at Intuit Mailchimp for more than a decade. Try clicking “unsubscribe” again to remove yourself from another mailing list.
About the experts
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Readers Digest has published hundreds of articles on personal technology, arming readers with the knowledge to protect themselves against cybersecurity threats and internet scams as well as revealing the best tips, tricks and shortcuts for computers, cellphones, apps, texting, social media and more. For this piece, Lauren Krouse tapped her experience as a technology journalist, and then Chuck Brooks, a globally recognized expert on cybersecurity and emerging technologies, Georgetown University professor and thought leader who has briefed the G20 on cybersecurity and received two presidential appointments, gave it a rigorous review to ensure that all information is accurate and offers the best possible advice to readers. We rely on credentialed experts with personal experience and know-how as well as primary sources including tech companies, professional organizations and academic institutions. We verify all facts and data and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Jayati Dev, PhD, privacy engineer in the Comcast Cyber Security research team; phone interview, May 28, 2024
- Carl Chandler, CIPP/E, certified privacy expert; email interview, May 25, 2024
- Joe Jones, director of research and insights for the International Association of Privacy Professionals; phone interview, May 24, 2024
- Charles Henderson, executive vice president of cyber security services for Coalfire; interview, July 28, 2021
- The Radicati Group: “Email Statistics Report 20152019”
- Conference on Web Search and Data Mining: “You’ve got Mail, and Here Is What you Could Do With It!: Analyzing and Predicting Actions on Email Messages”
- Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: “Why Johnny Can’t Unsubscribe: Barriers to Stopping Unwanted Email”
- Federal Trade Commission: “CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business”
- Statista: “Global spam volume as percentage of total e-mail traffic from 2011 to 2023”
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