Hard vs. Soft Email Bounces: Causes, Examples, and Fixes

Have you ever sent out an email campaign only to find that a big chunk of your messages never reached the inbox?

That’s what marketers call an email bounce. It’s a common issue in email marketing and one that directly impacts your open rates, conversions, and overall ROI.

As per the 2025 Email Deliverability Report, 1 in 6 legitimate marketing emails never makes it to the inbox. Instead, they’re blocked or end up in the spam folder. This makes bounce management even more important if you want your campaigns to drive real results.

When emails bounce, it usually means they were rejected by the recipient’s mail server. Sometimes it’s a temporary issue (soft bounce), and other times it’s a permanent failure (hard bounce). Knowing the difference matters because it helps you reduce your bounce rate and keep your email deliverability strong.

In this blog, you’ll learn exactly what an email bounce is, how hard and soft bounces work, and the practical steps you can take to fix and prevent bounce problems in your campaigns.

What is an Email Bounce?

Imagine knocking on someone’s door, only to find it locked or the house completely abandoned. That’s what an email bounce feels like in marketing. Your email reaches the recipient’s server, but instead of being delivered, it gets pushed back with an error message.

When this happens, the server is basically telling you one of two things:

• This email address doesn’t exist, i.e., Hard Bounce.
• The mailbox is full; try again later, i.e., Soft Bounce.

Here’s a simple example:

• You send an email to alex@email.com, but that account no longer exists; that’s a hard bounce.
• You email mia@email.com, but her inbox has no space left; that’s a soft bounce.

The higher your bounce rate, the greater the risk your emails end up flagged as spam. That’s why keeping your list updated and removing bad addresses is one of the smartest moves you can make for better email deliverability.

What is a Hard Bounce in Email Marketing?

A hard bounce means your email can’t be delivered, ever. It’s a permanent problem that won’t fix itself. You’ll usually see a hard bounce when:

• The email address doesn’t exist or was mistyped.
• The domain name is invalid (like @gmial.com instead of @gmail.com).
• The recipient’s server blocked your email completely.

Hard bounces are dangerous for your sender’s reputation. If you keep sending emails to invalid addresses, your campaigns could start landing in spam folders. To avoid this, clean your email list regularly and remove addresses that generate hard bounces.

What is a Soft Bounce in Email Marketing?

A soft bounce happens when your email gets as far as the recipient’s server but is turned away before reaching the inbox. This isn’t permanent. It might work if you try again later.

Soft bounces happen when:

• The inbox is full.
• The mail server is temporarily down.
• The email is too large (big attachments or images).

You don’t always need to remove soft-bounced addresses right away. If the same contact keeps bouncing over multiple campaigns, that’s when you should take action.

Hard vs. Soft Bounce: What’s the Real Difference?

You’ve already learned what hard and soft bounces are, but the real challenge comes when you need to compare them side by side. On the surface, both look the same, which means your emails don’t reach the inbox. In reality, though, they have very different causes, levels of risk, and fixes.

Here’s a detailed breakdown so you can see the differences side by side:

What Are the Causes of Email Bounces?

It can feel frustrating when you hit send and your carefully crafted email never makes it to the inbox. Instead, it bounces back like a boomerang, leaving you wondering what went wrong. The truth is, every bounce has a reason, and once you know those reasons, you can take the right steps to fix them and reduce future issues.
If you’ve been asking yourself, “Why do my emails bounce?”, here are the most common causes:

Common Reasons for Hard Bounces

• Invalid or fake email addresses.
• Typos in domains.
• Closed or inactive accounts.
• Blocked domains or servers are rejecting your email completely.

Common Reasons for Soft Bounces

• The recipient’s inbox is full.
• Temporary server errors or downtime.
• Email size is too large (heavy attachments, oversized images).
• Temporary filters are applied by the receiving server.

Each bounce tells you something important. Hard bounces are red flags that you should remove immediately. Soft bounces, on the other hand, are more like a “try again later” signal.

What Are the Best Practices to Reduce Email Bounce Rate?

Nobody likes seeing their emails bounce back. It not only hurts your campaign performance but also signals to inbox providers that your sender reputation might be shaky.
The good news is that most bounce issues can be avoided if you follow a few smart practices. The trick is to handle permanent (hard) and temporary (soft) issues differently.
Let’s look at a few simple tips to keep your bounce rate low and your deliverability strong.

How to Handle Hard Bounces?

Hard bounces are like dead ends; once you hit them, there’s no going forward. That’s why it’s important to catch them early and clean them out.
Here’s what helps:

• Verify email addresses before adding them to your list.
• Clean your list regularly by removing invalid or inactive contacts.
• Avoid purchased lists; they often contain outdated or fake emails.
• Fix typos quickly whenever bounce reports flag them.

How to Handle Soft Bounces?

Soft bounces are more like speed bumps, annoying, but you can usually get past them. These usually sort themselves out, but you can give yourself a better chance by:

• Retrying later, since many soft bounces resolve on their own.
• Keeping emails lightweight (optimize images, avoid huge attachments).
• Watching repeat offenders; if the same address bounces multiple times, it may be time to remove it.
• Warming up your domain slowly if you’re sending large volumes, so servers don’t get suspicious and throttle your emails.

Think of hard bounces as permanent roadblocks and soft bounces as temporary detours. Handling them the right way protects your sender reputation and helps more of your emails land where they belong, i.e., the inbox.

A stronger email verification tool can easily remove the chances of bounces by cleaning your list, making sure you only send to valid, active addresses.

Key Takeaways

Email bounces aren’t the end of the world. Think of them as useful feedback from mail servers, letting you know what’s working and what’s not. A hard bounce is your clear signal to cut that address, while a soft bounce is more like a temporary pause that you can monitor.

The best thing you can do is pay attention to those signals, keep your list clean, and stick to proven email practices. When you do that, your bounce rate drops, your deliverability improves, and more of your emails actually land in the inbox where they belong.

Remember, your list is one of your biggest assets. Take care of it, and it will take care of your campaigns!

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