Manage campaign open tracking preferences for contacts

You can record and manage a contact’s campaign open tracking preference in ActiveCampaign through the contact record, the preference center, a contact import, or the API. This preference controls whether email opens can be associated with that contact. It applies across lists and campaigns and is separate from the contact’s subscription to receive email campaigns.

Take note

• Contacts remain opted in to campaign open tracking until you record an opt-out. ActiveCampaign does not determine which contacts should be opted out.
• Opting out of open tracking does not unsubscribe a contact from email campaigns or change click or reply tracking.
• The opt-out applies to email campaigns sent after you record it. Previously recorded open activity remains in your account. Opens of email campaigns sent before the opt-out may still be recorded.
• You can view and edit a contact’s tracking status directly on their contact record.
• Active Intelligence can also modify individual contacts tracking status when prompted by providing a contact name or email and the status you want to apply (requires a click to approve the update). 
• You can add an opt-out field to a preference center so contacts can manage this preference themselves.
• This setting does not apply to Postmark.

How opting out affects campaign tracking

The effect depends on how you send the email campaign:

Anonymous campaign opens count toward campaign totals. They do not identify which contact opened the email campaign.

Update tracking preferences with a CSV import

You can import preferences for multiple contacts at once. If you already store these preferences in a custom field, you must import them into the dedicated tracking setting. ActiveCampaign does not move them automatically.

Use these values in your CSV file:

Rows with unsupported preference values are skipped. The remaining rows continue to import.

Before importing, review your import settings. Imports can trigger automations.

1. Prepare a CSV file with each contact’s email address and a column containing their tracking preference.
2. Start a contact import from your CSV file.
3. Map your tracking preference column to “Open Tracking Opt-Out.”
4. Configure the import to update existing contacts.
5. Complete the import.
6. Review the import results for skipped rows or errors.
7. Check the “Email open tracking” status on the updated contact records.

If a contact later opts back in, import 0 for that contact.

You can also update preferences through the ActiveCampaign API or a custom integration that uses it. ActiveCampaign’s built-in integrations do not currently sync this preference.

Edit a contact's tracking status on the contact record

You can view and change an individual contact's campaign open tracking status directly from their contact record.

The "Email open tracking" field shows one of three values:

• None — No preference has been recorded. By default, this contact will be treated as consented.
• Consented — The contact has consented to open tracking.
• Opted out — The contact has opted out of open tracking.

1. Open the contact record for the contact you want to update.
2. Locate the "Email open tracking" field under General Details.
3. Select the new value from the dropdown: "None," "Consented," or "Opted out."
4. Click "Save Changes" to apply the update.

The contact record displays the updated status and the date of the last change.

Add the opt-out field to a preference center

You can include a checkbox in your preference center that lets contacts opt out of email open tracking themselves. When a contact saves their preferences, their status is synced to their contact record and becomes available in segmentation.

If a contact checks "Don't track when I open emails" and saves, their status is set to "Opted out." If they uncheck that box and save, their status returns to "Consented."

1. Go to Website > Forms in your ActiveCampaign account.
2. Create a new preference center or open an existing one.
3. Locate the "Email open tracking opt-out" field under Standard Fields.
4. Drag the "Don't track when I open emails" element into your preference center layout.
5. Edit the checkbox label if you want to use different wording for your contacts.
6. Save and publish the preference center.

The default checkbox label is "Don't track when I open emails." You can change the label text to match your brand or communication style.

Understand the effect on reports and automations

Campaign reports & Anonymous Opens

Opens from opted-out contacts are anonymous and included in campaign totals. Anonymous opens are present on the All Campaign Performance and Individual Campaign Reports.

Where available, use the “Anonymous Opens” figure alongside your other open metrics. It counts opening events, not identifiable contacts. Anonymous opens may be higher, as contacts opening email campaigns multiple times will count for multiple opens.

Additionally, because anonymous opens cannot be tied to a specific contact, no contact details will show up for opted out contacts when looking at the unique opens campaign report drill down. 

Automations and segments

Anonymous opens cannot trigger an automation based on a contact opening an email campaign. They also cannot qualify a contact for a segment based on that open.

You can segment contacts by their open tracking consent status using two conditions available under Contact Details in the segment builder:

• Campaign Open Tracking Consent — Filters contacts by their current status: "Consented" or "Opted Out."
  • Note: Segmenting on "Consented" will identify any contact who has not opted out, including "None" and "Never Answered", as contacts are treated as Consented until an explicit opt out is provided 
• Open Tracking Consent Last Updated — Filters contacts by the date their status was last changed.

You can combine these conditions to target contacts who, for example, consented before a specific date. Use these conditions in an If/Else block in an automation to send different email versions to contacts based on their consent status. Each email version's tracking settings must be configured manually in the email editor; selecting a consent condition does not automatically change an email's tracking settings.

Review automations that start or branch based on email campaign opens, along with segments that use open activity.

Resending to contacts who have not opened

Contacts who opt out may receive a resend intended for contacts who have not opened an email campaign, even if they opened the original. ActiveCampaign cannot associate their anonymous open with their contact record.

If you want to exclude these contacts from resends, maintain a tag for them and use that tag to exclude them from the resend audience. 

You can also use the "Campaign Open Tracking Consent" segment condition to identify and exclude opted-out contacts.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I view a contact’s tracking preference?

The contact record shows the current tracking status and the date of its last change. Contact exports include the “Open Tracking Opt-Out” value, and the most recent Open Tracking Consent Last Updated date.

Does ActiveCampaign keep a history of preference changes?

ActiveCampaign keeps the current preference and the date of its last change, but not a full history. Keep separate records if you need a detailed consent history.

What happens when I merge contacts?

If either contact has opted out of campaign open tracking, the merged contact remains opted out.

Can I turn off open tracking for an entire campaign?

Yes. You can turn off open tracking in the campaign’s settings. The contact-level preference lets you manage tracking choices for individual contacts within the same send.

Does this setting address my consent requirements?

This setting lets you record and apply your contacts’ email campaign open tracking choices. You are responsible for ensuring that you have all of the consents needed for you to send emails to your contacts, including to use tracking pixels in your emails to them. Because you have the relationship with your own contacts, the obligation to collect, store and demonstrate consent sits with you.

Using this setting does not, by itself, establish compliance with privacy requirements. Consult your legal counsel about your specific legal requirements. 

Disclaimer: ActiveCampaign’s services are used by thousands of customers, in hundreds of industries all over the world, and we recognize that each customer’s legal considerations will be unique. As a result, only your lawyer can provide tailored legal advice to you, and we recommend working with your legal counsel to determine how our services fit your particular compliance needs. Please note that this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.