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Understand contact statuses
What Active, Pending, bounced, Unsubscribed and Deleted mean - and when to unsubscribe rather than delete.
Every contact on your list has a status that tells you whether you can email them and why. Getting to grips with these - especially the difference between unsubscribing and deleting - keeps your list healthy and keeps you compliant.
What each status means
Active - the email is valid and you have permission. They can receive your campaigns.
Pending - they haven't confirmed their subscription yet, so you can't email them. They're not really on your list until they confirm.
Hard bounce - the address is invalid according to the receiving server, so you can't send to it.
Soft bounce - your last send failed for a temporary reason; you can keep trying.
Unsubscribed - they opted out (usually via the unsubscribe link). They're removed from sending, but their data and history stay stored, they won't be re-added by an import, and if they re-subscribe their history comes back.
Deleted - they're removed and all their data and activity are gone for good. A re-subscribe starts from scratch. (Past campaign reports aren't affected.)
Unsubscribe or delete?
- Unsubscribe when someone disengages or asks to be removed. It keeps an audit trail for compliance and lets them come back later with their history intact.
- Delete only when you genuinely need to remove invalid or problematic data permanently - it can't be undone.
Wherever you can, prefer unsubscribing: it preserves the records anti-spam law expects, and it keeps the door open for a future re-engagement.
Troubleshooting
Stuck in Pending - the contact hasn't clicked the confirmation email. Check it arrived and the address is valid, and that double opt-in is configured.
Hard bounce - the address is likely misspelled or gone. Correct or remove it to protect your deliverability.
An unsubscribed contact got added by import - unsubscribed contacts can't be re-added by import. They need to re-subscribe through your form themselves.
Lost data after deleting - deletion is permanent, so use Unsubscribe if there's any chance you'll want them back, and keep exports as backups.
For the related delivery view, see Bounces, complaints and unsubscribes. Still unsure about a status? Open a support ticket.