Clean, split, and maintain lists
Maintain list memberships without confusing a list operation with deletion of the canonical contact identity.
List actions
- Copy
- Creates a separate list based on the selected list configuration and supported membership behavior.
- Split
- Distributes list membership into the requested list structure while preserving contact data.
- Clean
- Applies the selected hygiene rules without treating consent protections as ordinary editable data.
- Empty
- Removes memberships from the list while retaining the list configuration. In canonical mode, the contact identities remain in the contact directory.
- Bulk Update
- Applies supported updates to matching recipients within the chosen scope. Review the scope carefully before running it.
Membership changes can affect live audiences
Export or otherwise verify the affected audience first, and remember that unsubscribe, complaint, hard-bounce, and suppression protections should not be weakened by list maintenance.
Canonical contacts change how list cleanup should be understood
A list is an audience container, not the identity record for the person. One contact can belong to several lists, so removing that contact from one list should remove or tombstone the membership rather than deleting the person from every other audience.
After a large clean, split, empty, or bulk update, re-check saved segments and scheduled campaigns that depend on the affected list memberships because their eligible audience can change.
Frequently asked questions
- Does emptying a list delete the contacts?
- No, in canonical mode emptying a list removes memberships from that list while the contact identities remain in the contact directory and any other lists they belong to.
- Can list cleanup remove someone who unsubscribed or complained?
- No, hygiene rules should never weaken unsubscribe, complaint, hard-bounce, or suppression protections; those statuses are consent-related and are not treated as ordinary editable data.
- Should I export a list before running a bulk update?
- Yes, verify the affected audience and scope first, since a large clean, split, empty, or bulk update can change the eligible audience for saved segments and scheduled campaigns.
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