Salesforce Mass Email: How to Enable, Send, and Scale in 2026

In 2024, just over 4.4 billion people actively use email worldwide; this number is expected to grow to 4.73 billion in the coming two years. This only points to one thing for marketers: email isn’t dead. In fact, it may become more relevant to leverage the advantages of mass emails now than ever.

Litmus’ survey shows that 73% of marketers believe email plays a vital role in their company’s success. Yet, many admit their email marketing isn’t well integrated with other channels, a gap that smart tools can help bridge.

Source

Emails provide a way for a brand to communicate with its consumers by handing over the control of communication to them. This method is seen as highly respectful of a consumer’s time and schedule; perhaps that’s why it is preferred to other methods (like social media or instant messaging).

Marketers today choose to send out emails in bulk to their consumers using Salesforce, the world’s leading CRM solution, in tandem with add-on applications like MassMailer to help the process. This helps save time and reduce operational errors, and also improves the deliverability rate of the emails sent.

In this guide, we’ll break down how to use Salesforce for mass email campaigns, what limitations you need to know, and how tools like MassMailer can help you scale the right way. Let’s dive in.

What Is Salesforce Mass Email?

Salesforce Mass Email allows users to send personalized emails in bulk to leads, contacts, or campaign members directly from the Salesforce CRM. It supports email templates, segmentation, scheduling, and basic tracking.

Daily email limits vary by edition, with automation and advanced reporting available through Marketing Cloud or third-party integrations. Built-in compliance features ensure opt-out and regulatory adherence.

Users can create targeted campaigns using filtered views and dynamic lists. Salesforce Mass Email is ideal for teams seeking efficient, CRM-based outreach without switching platforms.

There are a few different ways to send mass emails in Salesforce, depending on the edition and UI you’re using:

It’s important to understand that Salesforce’s native mass email tools are meant for simpler, one-time outreach, ideal for CRM-based comms like:

• Webinar or product launch invitations
  
• Internal team notifications
  
• Customer onboarding follow-ups
  
• Feedback requests or surveys

However, if you're trying to run advanced, high-volume marketing campaigns with analytics, automation, and A/B testing, you’ll likely hit platform limits, something we’ll cover soon.

For now, just remember: Salesforce mass email is best for CRM-aligned use cases, not for replacing your dedicated marketing automation platform.

How to Enable Mass Email in Salesforce

To enable mass email in Salesforce, complete four steps in Setup: turn on Enhanced Email, assign the "Allow sending of List Emails" permission, add the Send List Email button to list view layouts, and set email deliverability to "All email." All four are required. If any step is missing, the Send List Email button won't appear in your list views.

Enable Enhanced Email

Enhanced Email creates the EmailMessage object. It also activates the tracking infrastructure that list email depends on.

To enable it:

• Go to Setup
• Type "Enhanced Email" in the Quick Find box
• Click Enable

Without this step, Send List Email won't show up anywhere in your org. So always start here.

Assign the List Email Permission

By default, Salesforce doesn't give users the ability to send list emails. An admin needs to assign the right permission manually.

Here's how to do it:

• Go to Setup and click Permission Sets
• Select an existing set or create a new one
• Navigate to System Permissions and click Edit
• Check "Allow sending of List Emails" and save
• Assign the permission set to the relevant users

This also enables Mass Email, Send Email, and Edit Task permissions automatically. You don't need to toggle those separately.

Add the Button to List View Layouts

Even after the permission is assigned, the button may still not appear. That happens when it hasn't been added to the list view layout for the Contact or Lead object.

To fix this:

• Go to Setup and open Object Manager
• Select Contact or Lead
• Click List View Button Layout
• Check if "Send List Email" is in the selected buttons list
• If it's missing, move it over from the available buttons panel

This is easy to overlook. If a user has the permission but still can't see the button, this is almost always the reason.

Verify Email Deliverability Settings

Finally, confirm your org's email deliverability level. Salesforce won't allow list email if the setting is too restrictive.

To check:

• Go to Setup
• Search for "Deliverability" in Quick Find
• Confirm the Access Level is set to "All email"

This is especially common in sandbox environments. Salesforce often defaults sandboxes to "System email only," which blocks list email entirely.

Once all four steps are done, your team is ready to start sending.

How to Send Mass Emails in Salesforce (Step-by-Step Guide)

One of its most valuable features is building personalized email campaigns. It also lets you send an email to a group of leads, contacts, person accounts, and coworkers all at the same time.

Do you know how to send a Salesforce bulk email? Read on below for a step-by-step guide to sending bulk emails in Salesforce.

1. Using List Email in Salesforce Lightning

This is the most common method for Lightning Experience users. The List Email feature lets you select recipients from a filtered list of Leads or Contacts and send a personalized mass email in Salesforce with just a few clicks. Each recipient gets their own individually addressed copy with merged field values.

Steps:

1. Navigate to the Contacts or Leads tab. Choose or create a filtered view that displays the recipients you want to email. Do not use "Recently Viewed" as it doesn't support list email.
2. Select your recipients. Tick the checkboxes manually or use Select All. Manual selection is limited to 200 records at a time. To reach a larger audience, filter your view precisely and use Select All.
3. Click on "Send List Email." You'll find this in the dropdown menu in the upper-right corner of the list view.
4. Insert an email template. Choose an existing Lightning Email Template or create a new one. Add merge fields (like {{FirstName}}) to personalize your message. Note that Visualforce and Classic templates are not supported.
5. Review, send, or schedule. Confirm the subject line, From address, and recipient count. Click Send to deliver immediately, or select "Send Later" from the dropdown to schedule a specific date and time. Salesforce notifies you by email once the send completes.

Limitations:

• Recipient cap: 200 per send
• Templates: Only Lightning Email Templates are supported
• Tracking: Basic send status only. No per-contact open or click tracking natively
• Custom objects: List email works only with Contacts, Leads, and Campaign Members

For tracking results after sending, see our guide on how to track emails sent from Salesforce.

2. Sending Mass Emails via Campaigns in Salesforce

Salesforce Campaigns are designed for marketers. They help organize and track engagement across multiple Leads and Contacts related to a single initiative like a webinar, offer, or product announcement.

Steps:

1. Create a Campaign.

• Go to the Campaigns tab and create a new campaign with a name, type, start date, and status.

2. Add Campaign Members.

• Use a list view, import a file, or manually search and add Contacts/Leads.

3. Go to the Campaign → Send Email.

• Choose the “Send List Email” option or use a custom button if configured.

4. Use a pre-built email template.

• Select and customize a Lightning email template, adding dynamic content and personalization fields.

5. Send and monitor.

• Once sent, you can track open rates, click-throughs, unsubscribes, and responses via Campaign Reports.

Best Use Cases:

• Inviting members to webinars or virtual events
• Sending product release notes or newsletters
• Survey or feedback collection
• Campaign-linked performance tracking

While Campaign-based emailing has more structure and reporting, you’ll still face the same platform limitations around volume.

3. How to Send Bulk Emails in Salesforce Classic

Salesforce Classic still supports bulk emailing, though the interface is more dated. If you're still using Classic, this is how you can send a Salesforce bulk email:

Steps:

1. Go to the Contacts, Leads, or Cases tab.

• Scroll to the “Tools” section. Choose from:
  • Mass Email Contacts
  • Mass Email Leads
  • Mass Email Users

2. Select a list view and click “Go!”

• You’ll see a list of recipients based on the view you selected. You can deselect any names manually.

3. Choose an email template.

• Select from saved templates, including Classic templates with plain text or HTML.

4. Set delivery options.

• You can send immediately or schedule the email for later with time zone selection. Always enable "Store an activity for each message." Without this, no send record appears in Activity History on recipient records. Your team loses documentation of who was contacted and when.

5. Click “Send” → then “Finished.”

What You Need to Know:

• Still subject to the same daily mass email Salesforce limits
• Fewer formatting and preview options compared to Lightning
• No rich tracking or analytics for engagement

After a large send, run the HTML Email Status Report under Salesforce Reports. It shows per-recipient delivery, bounce, and failure status. This helps you identify addresses to suppress before the next campaign. Classic is being phased out, but for teams still using it, it provides a basic and functional way to reach external or internal users in bulk.

Salesforce Mass Email Limits You Should Know

Salesforce offers mass email functionality, but it comes with strict limits that can quickly get in your way if you’re not careful. These restrictions vary depending on your Salesforce edition, user permissions, and recipient types.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to know:

• Daily Email Sending Limits: Salesforce allows up to 5,000 external emails per org per day. The count resets every 24 hours. Emails sent to internal users (your team) do not count toward this limit

• Edition-Based Restrictions: Your sending cap depends on your Salesforce edition (e.g., Essentials, Professional, Enterprise). Free trial accounts are limited to just 10 external emails per day

• User Permissions Matter: Only users with the correct permissions (like “Manage Users” or “Modify All Data”) can send mass emails. If you don’t see the mass email options in your UI, check your permission set

• Duplicate Emails Count Separately: Salesforce counts each instance of the same email address as a separate send. For example, five records with the same email address = 5 sends

• Template and Attachment Limits: Salesforce email templates can't include Visualforce in mass emails. Attachments are converted into downloadable links and expire after 30 days. Emails with oversized attachments or broken HTML may fail to send

• You Must Verify Your Domain: If you’re sending emails from your own domain (not a Salesforce one), you must verify it through SPF and DKIM settings. Unverified domains are more likely to get flagged as spam

Understanding these Salesforce mass email limits upfront can save you from unexpected roadblocks, whether you're running a one-time campaign or managing ongoing outreach. While Salesforce works well for basic email needs, scaling your efforts requires more flexibility and fewer restrictions.

Best Practices for Sending Salesforce Mass Emails

Salesforce mass email works best when you filter your list views before sending, verify your domain with SPF and DKIM, and coordinate timing across teams to stay within the daily org limit. Here are six practices that improve deliverability and engagement without needing any third-party tools.

1. Filter Your List Views Before Sending

Never send to an unfiltered list. Always set up your list view with these filters before clicking Send List Email:

• Email Opt Out equals False
• Email field is not blank
• At least one segmentation filter (Industry, Lead Status, Region, or a custom field)

Unsegmented sends lead to low open rates and high opt-outs. Both damage your sender reputation over time.

2. Verify Your Sending Domain

If you send emails from your own domain, verify it through SPF and DKIM records in Salesforce Setup. Unverified domains are far more likely to get flagged as spam by email providers. This is a one-time configuration step, but skipping it can tank your deliverability from day one.

3. Use Merge Fields in Subject Lines and Body

Salesforce merge fields let you address each recipient by name, company, or any other field on their record. Add fields like {{FirstName}} or {{Company}} to both the subject line and the body.

Even a small touch of personalization improves open rates. It takes seconds to add and makes bulk emails feel far less generic.

4. Send a Test Email Before Every Campaign

Always preview your email before sending to the full list. Check how merge fields render with actual contact data. Look for broken formatting, missing fields, and incorrect From addresses.

Catching these issues after the send wastes one of your 5,000 daily emails for every recipient who gets a broken message.

5. Coordinate Send Timing Across Teams

The 5,000/day limit is shared across the entire org. A morning send by one team can use up the quota before another team's afternoon campaign runs.

To prevent this:

• Set internal policies for daily quota allocation
• Use "Send Later" to stagger campaigns across the day
• Check the List Emails object in App Launcher to see what's already scheduled

6. Honor Opt-Outs and Stay Compliant

Salesforce automatically excludes contacts marked with Email Opt Out from list email sends. Make sure your team isn't manually adding opted-out contacts back into list views or campaigns. Ignoring opt-outs damages your sender reputation and puts your org at compliance risk.

How to Scale Beyond Salesforce's Native Email Limits

Salesforce's native mass email tools work well for small, targeted sends to Contacts and Leads. But teams outgrow them when they need to send more than 5,000 emails per day, reach custom objects, or track per-contact engagement. That's where MassMailer comes in.

MassMailer is a 100% Salesforce-native app built on the AppExchange. It removes the daily sending ceiling and adds functionality that Salesforce's built-in tools don't offer. Everything runs inside Salesforce, so no data ever leaves your org.

Here's what MassMailer adds beyond native Salesforce mass email:

• Unlimited email volume: No 5,000/day cap. Send as many emails as your campaigns require.
• Custom object support: Send mass emails to any standard or custom object in Salesforce. Not just Contacts and Leads.
• Per-contact engagement tracking: Track opens, clicks, bounces, spam reports, and unsubscribes at the individual contact level. Native Salesforce only gives you aggregate send status.
• Dedicated IP and domain management: Send from multiple domains and email addresses. Protect your sender reputation with a dedicated IP.
• Drip campaigns and scheduling: Build multi-step email sequences and schedule sends for later. Native list email only supports single sends.
• Drag-and-drop template builder: Create professional email templates without coding. Goes beyond what Lightning Email Templates offer.
• Subscription management: Handle unsubscriptions, distribution lists, and email preference groups directly inside Salesforce.

MassMailer installs in under five minutes from the AppExchange. Your existing data, object relationships, and compliance fields carry over.

Ready to Start Sending a Salesforce Mass Email?

Try MassMailer for free today