Bounce (Hard)
Hard bounce is when an email cannot be delivered because the address is invalid or blocked. It is a permanent failure and the address should be removed from your list.
Hard bounce is when an email cannot be delivered at all. The address is wrong, no longer exists, or the server has fully blocked it. The email service marks this as a permanent failure. Sending to that address again will not work.
Hard bounces hurt your sender reputation over time. If you keep emailing dead addresses, inbox providers start to trust you less. That can push more of your messages into spam for everyone. Cleaning out hard bounces keeps your list healthy and your emails in the inbox.
Most good email tools stop sending to an address after a hard bounce, but it is still smart to review these contacts. Remove them from your active lists and check how they got there in the first place. If you see many hard bounces from one source, pause that source and fix the issue.
Related Terms
Bounce (Soft)
A soft bounce is when an email fails to deliver for a temporary reason, like a full inbox or a short outage at the recipient mail server. The address is still valid, and the email may be delivered if you try again later.
Learn more →From Address(From Field)
The email address people see as the sender in their inbox. It tells them who the message is from and helps them decide whether to open it.
Learn more →List(Audience)
Your email list is the group of people who have asked to hear from you by email. It is an audience you own and can contact any time without relying on ads or social platforms.
Learn more →Bounce Rate(Email Bounce Rate)
Bounce rate is the percentage of emails that could not be delivered to recipients. It shows how many addresses are invalid or blocked compared to the total you tried to send.
Learn more →