How to Extract Emails from SendGrid Contacts and Activity
On this page
Export and import options vary by plan, permissions and product version. Check the platform’s current help documentation if a menu or format differs. Use only contact data you are authorized to process; an extracted address is not proof of marketing consent.
Why Extract from SendGrid?
SendGrid (by Twilio) is an email delivery platform that provides transactional email sending, email marketing, contact management, segmentation, automation, analytics and deliverability tools. SendGrid stores contact data for both transactional (API) recipients and marketing contacts.
Extracting email addresses from SendGrid is useful for migrating to another email platform, consolidating contacts with other marketing tools, backing up your contact list, auditing your sending recipients or building segmented lists outside of SendGrid.
How to Export from SendGrid
Exporting marketing contacts
- Log in to SendGrid.
- Go to Marketing then Contacts.
- Select All Contacts or a specific list or segment.
- Click Export then Export as CSV.
- SendGrid processes the export and sends a download link by email.
- The CSV includes email, first name, last name, custom fields, list membership and other data.
Exporting from email activity
- Go to Activity (email activity feed).
- Filter by date, event type or email address.
- Export the activity data as CSV.
- Activity data includes recipient email, event type, timestamp and message details.
Exporting suppression lists
- Go to Suppressions.
- Export bounces, blocks, spam reports, invalid emails or unsubscribes.
- Each category downloads as CSV with the suppressed email addresses.
How to Extract the Email Addresses
- Go to bulkemailextractor.com.
- Select "Text and files."
- Upload the CSV file exported from SendGrid. Up to 25 MB per file, 100 MB per batch.
- Click "Extract emails."
- Review the results. Duplicates are removed automatically.
- Download as TXT for a plain list, CSV for a single-column spreadsheet, or CSV with sources.
Working with the Results
Migrate to another platform
If moving from SendGrid to another email platform (Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Postmark), extract all contacts and import into the new platform.
Consolidate transactional and marketing contacts
SendGrid may handle both transactional and marketing email. Export both contact types and upload together. Deduplication shows your total unique email addresses.
This counts distinct email strings using case-insensitive matching, not distinct people. One person may have multiple addresses, and shared addresses may represent several people.
Build a clean suppression list
Extract emails from all suppression categories (bounces, spam reports, unsubscribes). Import this combined list as a suppression list in other platforms to maintain deliverability.
Verify addresses
Contact list emails should be verified periodically, especially if the list has not been cleaned recently. See Best email verification services.
Things to Know
Contact data is not preserved
Email Extractor outputs email addresses only. Names, custom fields, list memberships, engagement data and other fields from the SendGrid export are not carried over.
Marketing vs transactional contacts
SendGrid distinguishes between marketing contacts (managed in the Marketing section) and transactional recipients (sent via the API). They are stored and exported differently.
Export processing time
SendGrid's marketing contact exports are processed asynchronously. You receive a download link by email once the export is ready.
Contact limits
SendGrid pricing is partly based on marketing contact count. Exporting and cleaning your list can help optimise costs.
Suppression lists
SendGrid maintains suppression lists (bounces, spam reports, unsubscribes) that prevent sending to problematic addresses. These are critical for deliverability and should be exported alongside contact lists.
Subusers
If your SendGrid account uses subusers, each subuser has their own contacts and suppressions. Export from each subuser separately.
SendGrid Marketing Campaigns
SendGrid's Marketing Campaigns product provides a full email marketing suite alongside the transactional API. Contact exports include both.
