Summary
Emails failing to deliver due to truncated addresses in Sendgrid is a multifaceted problem. Core issues span from data quality shortcomings—such as entry errors, corrupted data, and invalid characters—to encoding problems, system configuration flaws, and compliance failures with email syntax standards. To combat this, email marketers must prioritize robust data validation, regular list hygiene, and comprehensive reviews of their Sendgrid setup and API integrations.
Key findings
- Data Entry Errors: Manual entry mistakes and copy-paste errors during list creation lead to truncated addresses.
- List Hygiene Neglect: Lack of regular data cleaning allows corrupted or incomplete addresses to persist, exacerbating delivery issues.
- Invalid Characters: Unvalidated characters in email addresses result in truncation during processing.
- Encoding Issues: Incorrect character encoding, especially with non-standard characters, causes addresses to be improperly processed.
- Account Configuration Errors: Misconfigured Sendgrid account settings or filters unintentionally truncate addresses.
- System Limitations: Some systems impose length restrictions on email addresses, causing truncation.
- Syntax Violations: Truncated addresses do not comply with standard email syntax, preventing proper routing.
- API Integration Issues: Improper formatting of email addresses within API requests leads to processing errors.
- DNS Misconfiguration: Incorrect DNS settings, especially MX records, contribute to email delivery problems and truncation.
- Invalid Domains: Sending to an invalid domain because the address has been truncated.
Key considerations
- Data Validation at Entry: Implement stringent data validation protocols during initial data input.
- Routine List Cleaning: Establish regular data scrubbing and cleansing routines to remove substandard email addresses.
- Email Testing Tools: Use pre-send testing to proactively identify address issues.
- Account Audits: Conduct routine reviews of Sendgrid account configurations to identify unintended modifications.
- Encoding Standardization: Ensure consistency with character encoding standards, converting to UTF-8.
- MX record issues: Confirm MX and A records are correctly configured and there are no timeout issues.
- Contact Sendgrid Support: Contact Sendgrid to investigate if internal truncation is not the issue.
What email marketers say
9 marketer opinions
Emails failing to deliver due to truncated addresses in Sendgrid can stem from various issues, primarily related to data quality and system configurations. Problems range from data entry errors, software bugs, and incorrect character sets to Sendgrid account settings and length limitations. Addressing these issues requires thorough data validation, regular list hygiene, and a review of encoding and API settings.
Key opinions
- Data Entry Errors: Incorrect data entry and copy/paste errors during the creation or import of email lists can lead to truncated email addresses.
- Software Bugs: Software bugs or field length limitations in systems that manage email lists can cause addresses to be truncated.
- Invalid Characters: Email addresses containing invalid or unsupported characters can result in truncation errors during processing.
- Encoding Issues: Incorrect character encoding, especially with non-standard characters, can cause truncation problems. Converting to a standard format is recommended.
- Sendgrid Settings: Specific filters or rules configured within Sendgrid accounts may unintentionally truncate email addresses.
- Address Length Limits: Some systems have limitations on the length of email addresses, leading to truncation if these limits are exceeded.
- MX record issues: Inability to deliver can be caused by not having MX or A record to complete lookup, or connection timeouts.
Key considerations
- Data Validation: Implement strict data validation processes at the point of entry to catch invalid email address formats before they enter the system.
- List Hygiene: Regularly clean and sanitize email lists to remove invalid, incomplete, or malformed email addresses.
- Testing Tools: Utilize email testing tools to identify issues with email addresses before sending campaigns.
- Account Review: Review Sendgrid account configurations to ensure there are no unintended rules or filters causing truncation.
- Character Encoding: Ensure proper character encoding, especially for non-standard characters, and convert to a standard format if necessary.
- Check MX records: Check MX and A records are correctly configured and there are no timeout issues.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum shares that unsupported character sets may cause truncation, particularly if there are non-standard characters. Convert to a standard format.
28 May 2025 - Email Marketing Forum
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email on Acid indicates invalid characters in addresses may be the issue. It explains that Email addresses containing invalid characters can sometimes cause truncation errors during processing. Verify that email addresses comply with standard format. Use some external validators to check this.
26 Sep 2024 - Email on Acid
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Emails are not delivering due to truncated addresses in Sendgrid due to a variety of factors. Sending to invalid domains due to truncation, issues with internal truncation, data validation at entry, and the importance of cleaning data are the main reasons, which require preventative measures such as data validation, regular list cleaning, and contacting Sendgrid if internal truncation is not the issue.
Key opinions
- Invalid Domains: Truncated addresses often result in sending to invalid domains, causing delivery errors.
- Truncation Source: The truncation issue might originate either internally or within Sendgrid's processing.
- Data Validation: Robust data validation at the entry point is crucial to prevent truncated addresses from entering the system.
- List Hygiene: Regularly cleaning email lists reduces the risk of sending to truncated or non-existent addresses.
Key considerations
- Data Validation Implementation: Implement stricter validation rules to catch invalid formats before they enter the system.
- Contact Sendgrid: If the truncation is not happening internally, contact Sendgrid to investigate the cause.
- Data Cleaning: Regularly clean your email lists before importing them into Sendgrid to remove invalid or incomplete addresses.
- Problem Prevention: Prioritize preventive measures to avoid sending to bad addresses in the first place.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks suggests the delivery errors are due to sending to invalid domains because of the truncation issue.
4 Feb 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise (Laura Atkins) emphasizes the importance of robust data validation at the point of entry to prevent truncated email addresses. She suggests implementing stricter validation rules to catch invalid formats before they enter the system, to avoid sending to bad addresses in the first place.
28 Aug 2024 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Emails failing to deliver due to truncated addresses in Sendgrid are related to syntax violations, character encoding problems, API integration issues, and incorrect DNS settings. Adhering to email syntax standards, ensuring UTF-8 encoding, reviewing bounce codes, validating email formats in API requests, and verifying DNS settings are crucial for preventing these issues.
Key findings
- Syntax Violation: Truncated addresses violate the formal syntax of email addresses, leading to routing and delivery failures.
- Encoding Issues: Character encoding problems, especially when using Sendgrid's API, can result in email address truncation. Ensure proper UTF-8 encoding.
- Bounce Codes: Sendgrid's bounce handling mechanism flags invalid or malformed email addresses, including truncated ones, and provides error codes.
- API Formatting: When using an API like Sendgrid's, properly formatting email addresses is crucial to avoid truncation issues during processing.
- Incorrect DNS: Incorrect DNS settings, specifically MX records, can lead to email delivery problems and unusual issues like truncation.
Key considerations
- Adhere to Syntax: Adhere to formal email address syntax to ensure proper routing and delivery.
- Ensure UTF-8 Encoding: Check for character encoding issues and ensure email addresses are properly encoded in UTF-8 to prevent truncation.
- Review Bounce Codes: Review bounce codes from Sendgrid to identify the nature of the problem related to truncated addresses.
- Validate API Requests: Validate the format of email addresses in API requests to filter out malformed addresses before processing.
- Verify DNS Settings: Make sure DNS records, especially MX records, are set up correctly to handle email delivery.
Technical article
Documentation from ietf.org defines the formal syntax for email addresses, emphasizing the importance of adhering to this syntax to ensure proper routing and delivery. Truncated addresses would violate this syntax.
13 Jun 2024 - ietf.org
Technical article
Documentation from Twilio explains that when using an API like Sendgrid's, it's crucial to ensure that email addresses are properly formatted before being sent through the API. API requests should validate the data and filter out malformed addresses to avoid truncation issues during processing.
14 May 2023 - Twilio
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