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Unsubscribe or delete a contact
The two ways to remove a contact from a list, how to do each, and which to choose.
There are two ways to remove someone from a list, and the difference matters. Unsubscribing keeps their record for compliance and lets them return later; deleting wipes everything permanently. This guide covers both, and when to use each.
Unsubscribe a contact
- Go to Audience, then Contacts.
- Choose your list.
- Find the contact with the magnifying glass.
- Click the ... in their row.
- Select Unsubscribe. A confirmation appears at the top of the page.
Permanently delete a contact
Deleting removes all of the contact's information - it can't be undone.
- Go to Audience, then Contacts.
- Choose your list.
- Find the contact with the magnifying glass.
- Click the ... in their row.
- Select Permanently delete and confirm.
Which should you use?
- Unsubscribe keeps an audit trail for compliance and lets the contact re-subscribe later with their history intact. This is the right choice for almost every "they don't want our emails" case.
- Delete is for permanently removing invalid or problematic data. Use it sparingly, and export a backup first if there's any doubt.
Either way, honour unsubscribe requests promptly - it's what keeps your sender reputation healthy.
Troubleshooting
Can't unsubscribe a contact - they may already be unsubscribed; check your permissions and that they're in the selected list.
An unsubscribed contact still gets emails - they're probably on another list too. Make sure the unsubscribe applied everywhere, and allow 24-48 hours to propagate.
Can't permanently delete - the contact may be in an active automation; try unsubscribing first, and check you have administrator permissions.
A deleted contact reappears - they're likely being re-imported. Check your import source and look for duplicate variations of the address.
They want to re-subscribe - edit the contact to change their status, but only with written consent, and check they're not on the suppression list.
For how opt-outs are handled automatically, see Use your suppression list. If a removal won't take, open a support ticket.