Why are my emails not being sent to everyone on my list?

If your SendFox email went to fewer people than expected, check three things: the Engaged only checkbox, unconfirmed contacts, and account optimization. Here's how to fix each.

1. The "Engaged only" checkbox was checked

In the email editor's address bar there's a checkbox labeled Engaged only (shown as Engaged subscribers only in the style sidebar). When it's checked, the email goes only to contacts who opened one of your emails in the past 90 days or subscribed recently — not to your whole list.

Fix: open the email, uncheck Engaged only, and your next send goes to everyone on the selected lists. See how to create and send an email.

2. Your list contains unconfirmed contacts

With double opt-in, subscribers must confirm their subscription before they receive your emails — unconfirmed contacts are skipped when a campaign sends.

To see them, go to Audience → Contacts and set the status filter to Unconfirmed subscribers.

Double opt-in is on by default for every account, and the Free plan always requires it. On a Pro (monthly) plan you can switch to single opt-in anytime, and Lifetime accounts can switch too once they’ve validated a sending domain. To turn it off, go to Settings → Sending → List defaults and uncheck Require double opt-in (it applies to new contacts from forms or the API).

3. Your account is in Optimization mode

If a previous email's results fell well below industry standards (low open rate, high bounce or spam-complaint rate), SendFox optimizes your account: campaigns are sent only to engaged subscribers, and sent emails show an Optimized badge on the Emails page. Read what does Optimized mean? for how it works and how to exit it.

Troubleshooting

I unchecked Engaged only and people are still missing

• Campaigns only go to subscribed contacts — unsubscribed, bounced, and invalid contacts never receive sends. Check their status on the Audience → Contacts page with the status filter.
• If your account shows Optimized badges, optimization is restricting sends — see the section above.

Lots of my contacts are stuck unconfirmed

• Confirmation emails can land in spam — ask subscribers to check there.
• Validating your domain improves the deliverability of every email you send, confirmations included.

Frequently Asked Questions

What counts as an engaged subscriber?

A contact who opened one of your emails in the past 90 days, or who subscribed recently.

Does "Engaged only" stay on for my next email?

It's saved per email — check the box's state in the editor before each send.

Can I turn off double opt-in?

Yes — on a Pro (monthly) plan anytime, and on a Lifetime plan once you’ve validated a sending domain. Uncheck Require double opt-in under Settings → Sending → List defaults. On the Free plan double opt-in is always on.