How to Remove Bad Emails from Mailchimp

Overview #

This guide walks you through identifying and removing bad emails (such as OTAs like HomeAway, Airbnb, etc.) from your Mailchimp audience.

Step 1: Export the Current Audience List #

1. Log in to Mailchimp at https://mailchimp.com.
2. In the left menu, click Audience.
3. Click All Contacts.
4. At the top right, select the correct Audience (if you have multiple audiences).
5. Click the Export Audience button.
6. Mailchimp will generate a CSV file for download. When it’s ready, click Download.

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Step 2: Open the List in Google Sheets #

1. Open Google Drive (https://drive.google.com).
2. Click New > Google Sheets.
3. Click File > Import.
4. Go to the Upload tab and drag the CSV file you just downloaded into the box.
5. Select Replace spreadsheet and click Import data.

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Step 3: Identify and Tag Bad Emails #

1. Locate the Email Address column.
2. Use CTRL + F (Windows) or CMD + F (Mac) to open the search box.
3. Search for bad domains like:
   • @airbnb.com
   • @homeaway.com
   • @vrbo.com
   • @expedia.com
   • @booking.com
   • Any other known bad emails
4. For each bad email, go to the Tag Column (if it doesn’t exist, create a new column and name it “Tag”).
5. Type Bad Email in the tag column next to the bad email entries.

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Step 4: Save and Re-Upload the Clean List to Mailchimp #

1. Click File > Download > Comma Separated Values (.CSV).
2. Go back to Mailchimp.
3. In the Audience section, click Manage Audience > Import Contacts.
4. Select Upload a file, then click Continue to Upload.
5. Drag the updated CSV file into the box and click Continue to Organize.
6. IMPORTANT: Under “Status,” select Update Existing Contacts (to apply the tags to existing contacts).
7. Click Continue to Tag and import the list.

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Step 5: Remove Bad Emails from Mailchimp #

1. In Mailchimp, go to Audience > All Contacts.
2. Click the Tags filter and select Bad Email.
3. This will show all the contacts you tagged as “Bad Email.”
4. Click the Checkbox at the top to select all.
5. Click Actions > Remove Contacts > Permanently Delete.

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Final Steps #

1. Confirm that the bad emails are gone by checking your audience again.
2. Let your supervisor know the cleanup is done.

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This method keeps your audience clean without losing valuable data by safely identifying and removing only bad entries. 🚀