blacklist
Email Blacklist Check & How to Get Delisted
Getting blacklisted is one of the most immediate deliverability killers — a single blocklist hit can push mail from “usually inbox” to “mostly spam” overnight. Here’s how to check, understand why it happened, and get delisted.
Check your domain or IP now
Run the free Blacklist Checker — it checks your domain/IP against Spamhaus ZEN, SpamCop, Barracuda, SORBS, SURBL, and URIBL in one click.
IP blacklists vs. domain blacklists
- IP blacklists (Spamhaus ZEN, SpamCop, Barracuda, SORBS) track the reputation of the sending server. Common on shared hosting — someone else’s bad behavior can get your IP listed too.
- Domain blacklists (SURBL, URIBL) track domains referenced in email content, usually links. These matter even if your sending IP is clean.
Check both — they catch different problems.
Why you got listed
The usual causes:
- High spam-complaint rate — recipients marking your mail as spam.
- Sending to a bad or purchased list — lots of invalid addresses (spam traps).
- A compromised sender — malware or a hacked account sending spam through your infrastructure.
- Shared IP abuse — another customer on the same IP/hosting got flagged.
- Volume spike on a cold domain — sending too much, too fast, without warmup.
How to get delisted
- Fix the root cause first. Delisting without fixing the underlying issue just gets you re-listed.
- Go to that specific blocklist’s removal page. Each has its own process — Spamhaus, SpamCop, and Barracuda are not interchangeable; delisting from one does nothing for the others.
- Wait for review. Some listings auto-expire in hours; others (like Spamhaus SBL) need a manual request and can take a few days.
- Keep sending clean. Repeat offenses make future delisting harder.
Prevent it happening again
The real fix is reputation, not just delisting:
- Authenticate properly (SPF/DKIM/DMARC).
- Keep bounce and complaint rates low.
- Never buy or scrape lists.
- Warm up new domains and high-volume sending gradually, so mailbox providers see a consistent, legitimate pattern before you scale — this is the single biggest preventive measure for cold or damaged domains.
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Start free warmupEmail Blacklist Check & How to Get Delisted — FAQ
How do I check if my email is blacklisted?
Use a blacklist checker that queries the major DNSBLs (DNS-based blocklists) — Spamhaus, SpamCop, Barracuda, SORBS for IPs, and SURBL/URIBL for domains. Our free blacklist checker runs all of these in one click and tells you exactly which ones, if any, have you listed.
What's the difference between an IP blacklist and a domain blacklist?
IP blacklists (Spamhaus, SpamCop, Barracuda, SORBS) track the reputation of the SERVER sending mail. Domain blacklists (SURBL, URIBL) track the reputation of domains referenced IN email content — usually links. You can be clean on one and listed on the other, so check both.
Can I get delisted for free?
Yes — every major blocklist offers a free self-service delisting request once you've fixed the underlying cause. There's no fee to submit a removal request; some blocklists auto-expire listings, others require you to fill out a form and wait for review.
How do I prevent getting blacklisted again?
Keep bounce and spam-complaint rates low, authenticate properly (SPF/DKIM/DMARC), avoid buying or scraping email lists, and warm up new or high-volume sending gradually. Most blacklistings are a symptom of a reputation problem — fixing the underlying sending behavior is what prevents repeat listings, not just delisting once.