What is a hard bounce in email?

When an email can’t be delivered to an address, it will “hard bounce” which means that it can’t be delivered at all. Unlike a soft bounce, which means an email address can’t be reached temporarily, a hard bounce means that an email address can’t be accessed at all, permanently.

A hard bounce is where an email can’t reach the intended destination because of permanent and unsolvable issues. A soft bounce is where an email can’t reach an inbox for a temporary reason, which can be fixed, like a full inbox for example.

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• Bounce
• Soft bounce