Why didn't my email go to everyone on my list?

Your email reaches fewer people than everyone on your list when Engaged only is on, contacts are unconfirmed, your account is optimized, or a list or tag is skipped.

All four causes can happen on every plan. Turning off double opt-in (cause 2) is the one fix that needs Pro, or a Lifetime plan with a validated sending domain.

1. Is "Engaged only" checked?

In the email editor, the To row has a checkbox labeled Engaged only. When it's checked, the email goes only to contacts who opened one of your emails in the past 90 days and to new contacts (people you haven't emailed yet, or first emailed in the last 90 days) — not to your whole list. On an automation email the same checkbox reads Engaged subscribers only and sits next to the subject.

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. Are some contacts unconfirmed?

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, open the All contacts filter and choose Unconfirmed.

Double opt-in is on by default for new accounts, and the Free plan always requires it. On Pro 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. The setting’s note mentions new contacts from forms or the API, but turning it off also lets your existing unconfirmed contacts receive campaigns.

3. Is your account in Optimization mode?

If your emails draw too many spam complaints, or SendFox’s team sees results well below industry standards, your account is optimized: campaigns go only to people who opened one of your emails in the last 90 days — unlike Engaged only, that leaves out new contacts too — and emails sent after that show an Optimized badge on the Emails page. Read what does “Optimized” mean on my SendFox emails? for how it works and how to exit it.

4. Did you skip a list or tag?

When you build an email, click Don't send to… in the To row to open the Skip row. Anyone matching a skip rule is left out of that send even if they also match your To selection — skipping takes priority over including. You can skip a list or a tag.

Open the email and check the Skip row (it shows on its own once something is skipped). Anything listed there — a list or a tag — was excluded. Skip settings are per-email, so something you skipped on one email does not affect your other emails.

Once your changes save, the number next to To shows your recipients, with each person counted once. While an edit is unsaved it shows a rough contacts total, and the Skip row's “sends to ~” figure is an estimate. If your account is optimized, the email can still go to fewer people than that number.

Troubleshooting

I unchecked Engaged only and people are still missing

• Campaigns only go to subscribed contacts — unsubscribed, bounced, and invalid contacts never receive sends. Anyone who left this particular list doesn’t get emails sent to it either: with Enable per-list unsubscribe on (Settings → Sending → List defaults), subscribers can leave a single list — see how unsubscribing and resubscribing work. Check their status on the Audience → Contacts page with the status filter — see contact types in SendFox.
• If your account shows Optimized badges, optimization is restricting sends — see the section above.

Fewer people got the email than the recipients number showed

• The recipients number doesn't account for Optimization. If your sent emails show an Optimized badge, the send went only to people who opened in the last 90 days — see what does “Optimized” mean on my SendFox emails?
• When you send to tags, the number also includes unconfirmed contacts, who are skipped at send while Require double opt-in is on.

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.

Still stuck? Check the sending answers in the SendFox FAQ, search help.sendfox.com or email support@sendfox.com with the email's subject, the lists or tags you sent it to, and how many people you expected it to reach.

Frequently Asked Questions

What counts as an engaged subscriber?

For Engaged only: a contact who opened one of your emails in the past 90 days, or a new contact you haven't emailed yet (or first emailed in the last 90 days).

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.

Do unsubscribed or bounced contacts get my emails?

No. Emails only go to subscribed contacts — unsubscribed, bounced and invalid contacts are always left out, and so is anyone who left the list you’re sending to.

Can I turn off double opt-in?

Yes — on Pro 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.