How to Bounce an Email Back to the Sender: A Comprehensive Guide

In the world of email communication, sometimes you encounter messages that you don’t want to receive, deal with, or even acknowledge. While simply deleting or ignoring an email is an option, there are situations where you might want to send a clear message back to the sender that their email wasn’t successfully delivered – this is known as ‘bouncing’ an email. Bouncing an email essentially simulates a failed delivery, informing the sender that their message didn’t reach its intended recipient. This can be useful for various reasons, ranging from managing unwanted emails to correcting sender errors. However, it’s crucial to understand that directly ‘bouncing’ an email in the same way a mail server does isn’t something a typical email client provides. Instead, we often utilize specific techniques and understand how mail servers automatically handle bounces. This comprehensive guide will delve into the intricacies of email bounces, clarify the difference between hard and soft bounces, explore common scenarios where you might want to emulate a bounce, and provide actionable steps with detailed instructions on how to achieve it with different email providers and tools.

Understanding Email Bounces: Hard vs. Soft

Before diving into how to ‘bounce’ an email, it’s crucial to understand the different types of bounces that occur automatically in email systems:

Hard Bounces

A hard bounce signifies a permanent delivery failure. This happens when an email address is invalid, doesn’t exist, or the recipient’s server has permanently rejected the message. Common reasons for a hard bounce include:

• Invalid Email Address: A typo in the email address, or the account simply doesn’t exist.
• Non-Existent Domain: The domain name part of the email address (e.g., @example.com) is invalid or doesn’t have an associated mail server.
• Blocked by Recipient Server: The recipient’s server has permanently blocked the sender’s email server or IP address.
• Email Account Closed: The recipient’s email account has been permanently closed or deactivated.

When a hard bounce occurs, mail servers typically provide a bounce-back message to the sender with a clear error code indicating the permanent failure. These messages are usually not something a user actively initiates; they are handled automatically by the mail server.

Soft Bounces

A soft bounce indicates a temporary delivery failure. The email address is valid, but the message couldn’t be delivered for a temporary reason. Common reasons for a soft bounce include:

• Full Inbox: The recipient’s mailbox is full, and can’t accept new messages.
• Server Down/Unavailable: The recipient’s mail server is temporarily unavailable due to maintenance or technical issues.
• Message Size Too Large: The email message or its attachments exceed the size limit set by the recipient’s server.
• Temporary Block: The sender’s server is temporarily blocked by the recipient’s server, often due to temporary reputation issues.

Soft bounces are typically retried by the sending server after a certain time period. If the issue persists, the message might eventually be classified as a hard bounce if the issue is not resolved.

Why Would You Want to ‘Bounce’ an Email?

While true bounces are typically automatic responses from mail servers, there are scenarios where you might want to manually mimic a bounced email, especially in cases where you do not want to engage with unwanted or suspicious messages. Here are some reasons why you might want to ‘bounce’ an email back to the sender:

• Unsolicited or Spam Emails: If you receive persistent unsolicited emails, particularly those that are obviously spam, bouncing them back can discourage further attempts. It’s like signaling to the spammers that your address isn’t valid, which may lead to them removing it from their list. However, sophisticated spammers don’t care about bounce messages.
• Errors in Email Addresses: Sometimes, you might receive emails sent to the wrong address. Bouncing the email back can alert the sender that they made a mistake, enabling them to correct the email address and send the message to the correct recipient. However, if this is an organization and it is a user error, a bounced email will not solve the issue.
• Avoidance of Communication: In certain situations, you may want to avoid communication with the sender without explicitly engaging in a back-and-forth email exchange. Bouncing the email might discourage further contact.
• False Positives: You may mark a legitimate email as spam. In these scenarios, you might want to let the sender know that you have not successfully received their email by sending them a bounced-like response.

It’s important to note that this is not a foolproof method. Legitimate senders may get concerned by a bounce and try to contact you via other means. Sophisticated spammers usually do not even check for bounced messages, and might continue to send you emails in the future.

How to ‘Bounce’ an Email Back to the Sender: Step-by-Step Instructions

It’s essential to reiterate that you cannot directly initiate a true, server-level bounce from your email client. However, you can simulate a bounced email by taking specific actions, such as:

Method 1: Using an Out-of-Office Auto-Reply (Emulating a Temporary Failure)

This is a simple approach that can give the appearance of a temporary delivery failure, mimicking a soft bounce. Here’s how to do it in various email clients:

Gmail

1. Access Gmail Settings: Open Gmail in your web browser and click on the ‘Settings’ gear icon in the top right corner, then select ‘See all settings’.
2. Go to the ‘General’ Tab: In the Settings menu, go to the ‘General’ tab.
3. Scroll to ‘Out of office auto-reply’: Find the ‘Out of office auto-reply’ section.
4. Turn on Auto-Reply: Enable the ‘Out of office auto-reply’ option by selecting ‘Out of office auto-reply on’.
5. Set a Subject and Message:
   • Subject: Use a subject like “Message Delivery Failure: Temporary Issue” or “Undeliverable Email – Temporary Error” to mimic a bounce response.
   • Message: Craft a message that indicates a temporary issue. For example, “Thank you for your email. I am currently experiencing technical issues with my email account and might not receive your email successfully. Please try again later. If you need immediate attention, please contact me through other channels.” You can also include a fake error code (e.g. “Error Code 550”) to add to the authenticity of a failed delivery.
6. Adjust Date and Contact Settings: Set the Start and End Dates. You can also set it to “Only send a response to people in my Contacts”. This option ensures only people you know get an auto-reply.
7. Save Changes: Click ‘Save Changes’ at the bottom of the page.

Important Considerations:

• This method sends a response to every email you receive and is not specific to a single sender. It is best to use when you expect that most emails in the near future will be emails that you would like to bounce.
• You will need to manually turn it off when you are ready to start receiving emails normally.
• While it simulates a temporary bounce, the sender will know it’s an auto-reply and not a true server bounce.

Outlook (Web and Desktop)

The steps to implement an auto-reply in Outlook are slightly different:

Outlook on the Web

1. Access Outlook Settings: Open Outlook in your web browser and click on the ‘Settings’ gear icon in the top right corner, then select ‘View all Outlook settings’.
2. Go to ‘Automatic replies’: Navigate to the ‘Mail’ tab, then select ‘Automatic replies’.
3. Enable Automatic Replies: Select ‘Turn on automatic replies’.
4. Set a Message: Write a message that simulates a bounce, similar to Gmail. A subject like “Undeliverable Email” or “Email delivery failure” and an automated message like “Thank you for your email. I am currently unavailable and may not receive your email successfully. Please try again later.”
5. Set a Timeframe: Optionally, set a specific timeframe for the auto-reply.
6. Save Changes: Click ‘Save’.

Outlook Desktop App

1. Open Outlook and click File: Select the ‘File’ tab on the top left.
2. Click ‘Automatic Replies’: Click on ‘Automatic Replies (Out of Office)’.
3. Enable Auto-Replies: Select ‘Send automatic replies’.
4. Set a Message: As with the other examples use a subject line like ‘Message Delivery Failed’ and a message like “Thank you for your email. I am currently unavailable and may not receive your email successfully. Please try again later.”
5. Set a Timeframe: Optionally, set a specific timeframe for the auto-reply.
6. Save Changes: Click ‘Ok’.

Important Considerations:

• As with Gmail, this method sends a response to every email. You will need to manually turn it off.
• It mimics a temporary error but won’t appear as a true server-level bounce.

Other Email Providers

Most email providers offer a similar ‘Out of Office’ or ‘Auto-Reply’ function, often within their settings menu. The general process is usually the same:

1. Access settings.
2. Navigate to ‘Automatic replies’, ‘Out of Office’ or similar function.
3. Enable automatic replies and set message, subject and time frames.

Method 2: Creating a Custom Filter or Rule (More Targeted Approach)

For more targeted mimicking of a bounce, you can create a custom filter or rule to forward the message back to the sender with a specific message. This method allows you to bounce emails from a specific sender, or with certain attributes.

Gmail (Filters)

1. Access Gmail Settings: Open Gmail in your web browser and click on the ‘Settings’ gear icon in the top right corner, then select ‘See all settings’.
2. Go to the ‘Filters and Blocked Addresses’ Tab: Navigate to the ‘Filters and Blocked Addresses’ tab.
3. Create a New Filter: Click on ‘Create a new filter’.
4. Define Filter Criteria:
   • In the ‘From’ field, enter the specific email address you want to bounce. You can also filter based on the subject or keywords if necessary.
5. Create the Action: Click ‘Create filter’ and then:
   • Select ‘Forward it to’. Enter the senders email in the forward it to option.
   • Create an auto-reply email with a bounce-like subject and message as per above instructions.
6. Enable the filter: Click ‘Create filter’ again.

Important Considerations:

• This is a more tailored approach that allows bouncing emails from specific senders.
• It does not provide a true server bounce, it just sends an automated reply, similar to an out of office message.
• Ensure you set the filter correctly to avoid unwanted bounces.

Outlook (Rules)

Outlook also has similar functionalities to create email rules to send an auto-reply to specific email senders.

Outlook on the Web

1. Access Outlook Settings: Open Outlook in your web browser and click on the ‘Settings’ gear icon in the top right corner, then select ‘View all Outlook settings’.
2. Go to ‘Rules’: In the Settings menu, go to the ‘Mail’ tab, then select ‘Rules’.
3. Create a New Rule: Click on ‘Add new rule’.
4. Define Rule Conditions:
   • In the ‘Add a condition’ section, select the ‘From’ or ‘Sender’ option, and input the email you wish to forward back to the sender. You can also define other conditions, such as the subject, if desired.
5. Define Rule Action:
   • In the ‘Add an action’ section, select ‘Forward to’ and then enter the senders email address in the input field.
   • Create a custom message as per the other options to simulate a bounced message.
6. Save the rule: Click the save button.

Outlook Desktop App

1. Click on the File Tab: Open Outlook and select the File tab on the top left
2. Click on ‘Manage Rules & Alerts’: In the ‘File’ Tab, select ‘Manage Rules & Alerts’
3. Select ‘New Rule…’: In the window that appears, click on ‘New Rule…’
4. Select ‘Apply rule on messages I receive’: In the window that appears, select ‘Apply rule on messages I receive’, then press ‘Next’
5. Define Rule Conditions:
   • In the step one window select the ‘from people or public group’, and then input the email address of the sender.
6. Define Rule Action:
   • In the step one window select ‘forward it to people or public group’, and then input the sender’s email address.
   • Create a custom message to simulate a bounced message.
7. Save the rule: Follow the on screen instructions to save the rule.

Important Considerations:

• This method offers more granularity for targeting specific senders or messages.
• It still doesn’t create a real server bounce, but a forwarded reply.
• Carefully configure your rule to avoid inadvertently bouncing other emails.

Method 3: Using a Temporary Email Service (Advanced Technique)

This is not a direct bounce method. However, if you are receiving spam emails from a source that you do not trust, you could consider creating a temporary email address for a service or website, and using that email. If you provide a fake email in order to access some online service, they may try to spam the fake email, and you might receive a bounced email into your actual email. For instance, if you input the wrong email address and the email is then sent to you by mistake, you might be able to see the bounced email from your email client. However, this is a complex method that often requires more setup than the other methods. It is not recommended unless you are extremely familiar with the technical aspects of email and web services.

Things to Consider Before Bouncing Emails

Before attempting to bounce an email, consider these factors:

• Legitimate Senders: Be sure you are not accidentally bouncing emails from legitimate contacts. This could damage your relationship with individuals or organizations you wish to maintain communication with.
• Spam Reporting: In most cases, it is preferable to mark an email as spam, which helps your email provider identify malicious senders and filter out such emails in the future.
• Effectiveness: Bouncing an email is not a foolproof method for preventing spam. Sophisticated spammers often ignore bounce messages.
• Sender Awareness: Be aware that bouncing an email will inform the sender that the message was not delivered. This may prompt legitimate senders to contact you via other channels.
• Impact on Sender Reputation: Excessively bouncing emails can impact your server’s reputation if it is interpreted as spam behavior.

Conclusion

While the concept of ‘bouncing’ an email in the way a server does isn’t something you can directly control from your email client, you can use techniques like out-of-office replies and email rules to mimic this behavior. These methods can be useful for managing unsolicited emails, avoiding communication, and alerting senders of errors. Always be mindful of the potential impact of these methods, ensure you are not blocking legitimate senders, and use them judiciously. Understanding the nuances of how email systems handle bounces will enable you to manage your email inbox more effectively. Remember, marking unwanted emails as spam is usually the best way to protect your inbox in the long term and teach your email provider what types of emails to filter out for you. Using the methods described in this article can help, but they are only a temporary solution, and it’s important to use them with care and understanding.