How the Suppressions list works
Automatic suppression – contacts are added to the list automatically when their status changes to Invalid, Unsubscribed, Complaint, or Inactive.
Manual suppression – you can also add contacts to the list yourself, independent of automatic additions.
Viewing the list – the "Overview" tab shows every suppressed contact, while the "Unsubscribed" tab filters to contacts who opted out.
Searching the list – use the search bar to quickly find a specific contact.
Removing contacts – removing a contact can change their status back to "Active", allowing you to send emails to them again.
Configuration details
1. Automatic suppression
Elastic Email adds contacts to the Suppressions list automatically whenever their status changes to one of the following:
Invalid: the email address returned a hard bounce, meaning it does not exist or is permanently unavailable.
Unsubscribed: the contact opted out of all emails and will not receive further messages unless they resubscribe.
Complaint: the contact reported your email as unsolicited.
2. Manual suppression
Beyond the contacts added automatically, you can add your own entries to the list. Click "Add suppressions" and enter the email addresses you want to block.
3. Viewing the list
Open the Suppressions list from the dashboard. Use the "Overview" tab to see every suppressed contact regardless of status, or switch to the "Unsubscribed" tab to see only contacts who opted out.
4. Searching the list
Use the "Search for suppression" field to quickly find a specific contact by email address.
5. Removing contacts
Select one or more contacts and click Delete to remove them from the list.
If you delete an bounced contact one at a time, their status is reset, allowing you to send to that contact again after. This only applies to contacts with the Invalid status. Contacts marked as Unsubscribed or Complaint cannot be reactivated this way.
Key features
Automatic suppression: contacts are added automatically when their status changes to Invalid, Unsubscribed or Complaint.
Manual suppression: you can add contacts to the list yourself, independent of automatic additions.
Overview and Unsubscribed tabs: browse all suppressed contacts or filter to only unsubscribed ones.
Search: find a specific contact quickly using the search bar.
Important notes
The Suppressions list is available on API plans.
For contacts with "Invalid" status, reactivation only happens when they are removed individually. Removing them in bulk does not change their status to "Active" - this is a safeguard against accidentally reactivating addresses known to be undeliverable.