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Troubleshoot missing emails
A step-by-step process for working out why an email never reached a recipient, and how to fix it.
Emails that never arrive are frustrating for everyone. Several things can stop a message reaching the inbox, and this guide walks through them in order so you can find the cause and fix it.
A huge proportion of delivery problems come down to domain authentication. If your sending domain isn't authenticated, that's the very first thing to fix - see Authenticate your sending domain.
1. Confirm the email was actually sent
Check the contact is on your list and what their status is. Open Campaign > Contact Activity > Sent to and look for them. If they're not marked Active, they can't be sent to - which points to a status problem.
2. Check the contact's status
A status other than Active usually explains it:
- Unsubscribed - they opted out. You'd need written proof they want back in before re-subscribing.
- Hard bounce - the address is invalid and no longer exists.
- Spam complaint (FBL) - they filed a spam complaint. You'd need written proof of consent and to escalate to support.
3. Check your suppression list
Go to Audience > Suppression List and see if the address is there. If they were suppressed by mistake and you have proof they want your emails, remove a Manual entry with Delete. A Feedback loop entry means a spam complaint, which support has to handle with proof of consent. See Use your suppression list.
4. Have they received emails from you before?
If they used to and suddenly don't, that tells you the address is valid and points at a recent delivery or filtering problem. Check whether other contacts are affected too.
5. Is it a role-based address?
Addresses like sales@ or support@ are often suppressed by default because they're higher-risk. If you can prove opt-in, you can request whitelisting via a support ticket. See Role-based email addresses.
6. Ask the recipient to check other folders
Mail sometimes lands in spam, or in Gmail's Promotions or Updates tabs - and occasionally in Trash if a rule deleted it. Ask them to look.
7. Make sure your domain is authenticated
An unauthenticated domain gets blocked by Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook. If yours isn't authenticated yet, that's your first fix.
8. Look at company-domain blocks
If only one company's addresses fail, their internal security or antivirus is probably blocking you. Ask their IT team to whitelist your sending domain.
Still missing?
If emails are still going astray after all of that, open a support ticket with the specific details - which messages, which recipients - and we'll dig in. Regular list hygiene and a quick test send to yourself are the best ways to catch these patterns early.