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Understanding List Email Status Codes

By Hypermail • Updated December 31, 2025 • 8 views

The following table explains the meaning of each possible email status code you may see in your contact lists.

Status CodeDescription
Active / Mailable
Pending Email address has not yet been mailed to.
Delivered Email was delivered successfully address accepted by the receiving mail server with no issues.
Timed Out Mail server did not respond within the expected time (typically 5–30 seconds, depending on your plan). The system will retry these addresses a few times automatically.
Blocked Email was rejected by the receiving mail server. This may occur due to factors like sender reputation, content filters, or frequency of mailings.
Unknown The mail server returned a status that could not be mapped to other categories.
CatchAll The address belongs to a catch-all domain that accepts all email addresses, even if not assigned to a user. Note: Mailing to catch-all addresses can be risky for list health.
Bounce / Inactive
Server not Found The mail server for this email address's domain could not be reached (DNS or connectivity failure).
Address does not exist The receiving server confirmed the email address is no longer valid (also called a "hard bounce").
Bad Syntax The email address format is incorrect (e.g., missing '@' or domain name).
Mailbox Full The recipient's mailbox has reached storage limits; unable to accept new messages.
Domain Risky No A Record The email domain has no valid website or DNS A record. Mailing will be avoided or flagged as risky.
Spam Trap Server The recipient server is believed to be a spam trap due to its MX record. Considered a hard bounce.
Suppressed / Unmailable
Settings Rejected Email addresses rejected at import time due to your list import rules (see: Email Marketing > System Settings > List Import Settings).
Optout The recipient has unsubscribed from your email communications.
Suppressed Role Email matches a restricted role pattern (e.g., abuse@, spam@) and cannot be mailed to.
Suppressed Domain Email's domain is on our global suppression list (cannot be mailed to).
Suppressed User Email address is on our global user suppression list (cannot be mailed to).
Suppressed Local Bounce Email address bounced as invalid from your own campaigns/lists (local to your account).
Suppressed Bounce / Suppressed Global Bounce Address is globally detected as invalid via system-wide bounce data; our system automatically suppresses these addresses.

Summary

  • Active Emails (Mailable): Pending, Delivered, Timed Out, Blocked, Unknown, CatchAll
  • Hard Bounce Emails (Never mailed again): Server not Found, Address does not exist, Bad Syntax, Domain Risky No A Record, Spam Trap Server ,Mailbox Full
  • Suppressed Emails (Never mailed again): Optout, Suppressed Role, Suppressed Domain, Suppressed User, Suppressed Local Bounce, Suppressed Bounce / Suppressed Global Bounce, Settings Rejected

Note: The system will only send emails to active/mailable statuses. Addresses with bounce or suppressed statuses are automatically excluded from future sends to protect sender reputation and campaign performance.

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