Bulk Actions on Subscribers

This guide explains how to select multiple subscribers and perform bulk actions such as adding to a group, removing from a group, unsubscribing, resubscribing, and deleting in Sender.

Where to Find This Feature

In the Sender dashboard, go to: Subscribers

Click Subscribers in the left sidebar to open the full subscriber list. You will see a table displaying each subscriber's email address, status icons for email and SMS, group assignments, first name, last name, phone number, location, and date added. Above the table, you will find a Filter subscribers search bar, filter dropdowns for Email status, SMS status, and Groups, an Advanced filter button, and an Actions dropdown. Each subscriber row has a checkbox on the left side, and a select-all checkbox appears at the top of the list in the Subscriber column header.

Steps to Perform Bulk Actions

Step 1 — Select subscribers

Use the checkboxes on the left side of each subscriber row to select individual contacts. To select multiple subscribers, click additional checkboxes as needed. Click the select-all checkbox at the top of the Subscriber column to open a dropdown with three options: Select visible (selects only the subscribers shown on the current page), Select all (selects all subscribers in your account across all pages), and Deselect all (clears your selection). Once you select at least one subscriber, a counter appears above the list showing the number selected (e.g., "1 selected"), and the Actions dropdown becomes active.

Step 2 — Filter your list before selecting (optional)

Before selecting subscribers, you can narrow the list using the filters at the top of the page. Use the Filter subscribers search bar to find specific contacts by email address. Click Email status to filter by promotional or transactional email status — options include Active, Bounced, Unsubscribed, Reported spam, and Non-subscribed. Click Groups to filter by group membership and use the Find by name search field within the dropdown to locate a specific group. You can also click Advanced filter for more detailed filtering. Filtering first ensures you select only the subscribers you intend to act on.

Step 3 — Choose and confirm a bulk action

With subscribers selected, click the Actions dropdown to see the available bulk actions:

Add group — Opens the Add subscribers to group dialog. Select a group from the Select group dropdown and click Add. The selected subscribers are added to that group without affecting their other group memberships.

Remove group — Opens the Remove subscribers from group dialog. Select a group from the Select group dropdown and click Remove. The selected subscribers are removed from that group but remain in your account and in any other groups they belong to.

Unsubscribe — Opens the Unsubscribe subscriber confirmation dialog. You will see checkboxes for Promotional Email, Transactional Email, Promotional SMS, and Transactional SMS. Select which channels to unsubscribe the contacts from, then click Unsubscribe to confirm. Click No to cancel. Unsubscribed contacts remain in your account but will no longer receive messages on the selected channels.

Resubscribe — Reactivates previously unsubscribed subscribers. This option is only available when you have selected subscribers with an Unsubscribed status. It appears greyed out if all selected subscribers are already active. Before resubscribing, ensure you have explicit consent from the contacts to comply with anti-spam requirements.

Delete — Opens the Delete subscribers confirmation dialog, which shows how many subscribers will be deleted. Click Delete to permanently remove the selected subscribers and all their associated data. Click No to cancel. This action cannot be undone.

Step 4 — Verify the result

After confirming a bulk action, the subscriber list updates to reflect the changes. For group additions or removals, check the Groups column to verify the updated group assignments. For unsubscribe actions, the subscriber's status icons will change from green to red on the affected channels. For deletions, the removed subscribers will no longer appear in the list and the total subscriber count at the top right of the page will update accordingly.

Subscriber Status Reference

Active — The subscriber is opted in and can receive messages. New subscribers are set to this status by default when added to your account. Active subscribers are included in campaigns and automations targeting their groups.

Unsubscribed — The subscriber has been opted out of one or more channels (promotional email, transactional email, promotional SMS, or transactional SMS). This can happen through a bulk unsubscribe action, a manual status change, or when the subscriber clicks an unsubscribe link. Unsubscribed contacts remain in your account but do not receive messages on the opted-out channels. This status is reversible through the Resubscribe action.

Bounced — The subscriber's email address caused a delivery failure. This status is applied automatically when an email to the address bounces. Bounced subscribers are excluded from future sends to protect your sender reputation.

Reported spam — The subscriber reported a message as spam. This status is applied automatically and the subscriber is excluded from future sends. Resubscribing a contact who reported spam is not recommended.

Non-subscribed — The subscriber exists in your account but has not actively opted in to any channel. This status may apply to contacts who were added without completing a confirmation step.

Management Tips

Filter before selecting — Use the Email status, SMS status, or Groups filters to narrow your subscriber list before performing a bulk action. This reduces the risk of accidentally including the wrong contacts.

Use Select all for large lists — If you need to act on your entire subscriber base, click the select-all checkbox and choose Select all rather than manually checking each row. This selects subscribers across all pages, not just the currently visible ones.

Prefer unsubscribe over delete — If you want to stop sending to contacts but keep their data for reference, use Unsubscribe instead of Delete. Unsubscribing is reversible, while deleting permanently removes the subscriber and their history.

Check channel-level options when unsubscribing — The unsubscribe dialog lets you choose specific channels (Promotional Email, Transactional Email, Promotional SMS, Transactional SMS). Deselect channels you want to keep active rather than unsubscribing the contact from everything.

Verify group changes after bulk actions — After adding or removing subscribers from groups, use the Groups filter to confirm the changes took effect. Check the Groups column in the subscriber list to verify individual assignments.

Common Issues

Actions dropdown is not clickable → No subscribers are selected. You must select at least one subscriber using the row checkboxes before the Actions dropdown becomes active.

Resubscribe option is greyed out → All currently selected subscribers are already in Active status. The Resubscribe action only applies to subscribers with an Unsubscribed status. Filter by Unsubscribed under Email status first, then select and resubscribe.

Deleted subscribers are missing from the list → Deletion is permanent. Deleted subscribers cannot be recovered within Sender. If you have a backup of your subscriber data, you can re-import the contacts. To avoid this, use Unsubscribe instead of Delete when you only need to stop sending.

Bulk action not applying to all subscribers → If you used Select visible, only subscribers on the current page were selected. Use the select-all checkbox and choose Select all to include subscribers across all pages of the list.

FAQs

How do I select multiple subscribers for a bulk action? On the Subscribers list page, use the checkboxes on the left side of each row to select individual contacts. Click the select-all checkbox at the top of the Subscriber column, then choose Select visible to select all contacts on the current page, or Select all to select every subscriber in your account. Once selected, choose an action from the Actions dropdown.

What happens when I delete a subscriber? Deleting a subscriber permanently removes their profile and all associated data from your account. This action cannot be undone. If you want to stop sending without losing data, use Unsubscribe instead.

Does removing a subscriber from a group delete them from my account? No. Removing a subscriber from a group only removes the group association. The subscriber remains in your account and may still belong to other groups.

Can I recover a subscriber I accidentally deleted? Deleted subscribers cannot be recovered within Sender. If you have an export of your subscriber data, you can re-import the contact. To avoid accidental deletions, consider unsubscribing contacts instead of deleting them.

Can I unsubscribe contacts from specific channels only? Yes. When you select Unsubscribe from the Actions dropdown, a confirmation dialog appears with checkboxes for Promotional Email, Transactional Email, Promotional SMS, and Transactional SMS. Deselect any channels you want to leave active before confirming.

Can I reactivate an unsubscribed contact? Yes. Select the unsubscribed subscriber, open the Actions dropdown, and click Resubscribe. Ensure you have the subscriber's explicit consent before reactivating to comply with anti-spam requirements.

If a subscriber is in multiple groups, do they count as one subscriber or multiple? Sender counts each unique email address once toward your subscriber limit, regardless of how many groups the contact belongs to.