Bounces and email status labels
What a bounce is, how Adapt shows it, and what Verified, Catch-all server, No answer and Will not deliver mean.
A bounce is an email the receiving server refuses. A few are normal. A high number damages your sending reputation.
How Adapt shows them
- A bounce notice read from your inbox is tagged Did not deliver in the Unibox. Notices sent by the mail system itself are also recognised and matched to the email they answer.
- The dashboard's Deliverability panel counts them under Did not deliver.
- Bounce protection (on by default) skips addresses known to bounce and pauses sending if bounces climb.
If a mailbox's inbox cannot be read, bounces are not seen. See The Unibox: read and sort replies.
Email status labels
Adapt does not use the word "Risky". Where an email address has been checked, it shows one of these.
| Label | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Verified | The mail server accepted this exact address | Safe to use |
| Catch-all server | The server accepts every address, so nothing can be proven | Send with care and watch bounces |
| No answer | The server never answered the check | Treat as unproven |
| Will not deliver | The server refused it | Do not send |
| Not checked yet | No check has run | Unproven |
The setting Send to addresses that fail checks is Off and cannot be changed.
Keeping bounces low
Use verified addresses, drop Will not deliver, warm up new mailboxes, and keep the daily limit modest: Sending limits and why they exist.