How to Unsubscribe From Substack (Email, Website and App)

Newsletters are brilliant until your inbox fills with ones you stopped reading months ago. Substack has become home to thousands of them, and because subscribing is so easy, it's just as easy to end up with a pile you never meant to keep.

The good news is that Substack gives you several ways out, from a single click in an email to a clear-out of everything at once. Here's what Substack's help pages describe, plus the Substack emails that don't come from a writer at all.

Unsubscribing from a Substack newsletter using the email itself

Substack's help calls this the easiest route. Every newsletter you receive carries an unsubscribe link at the bottom, and it works like this:

1. Open any email you've received from the publication.
2. Scroll right to the bottom and select Unsubscribe.
3. A new window opens. Choose Unsubscribe from all.

That final choice is the part people miss. Selecting the first link opens a page, and you still need to confirm there before the emails stop.

Unsubscribing on the Substack website from your account settings

If you can't find the old email, you can do it from your account instead. Substack's help gives these steps:

1. Go to your Substack account Settings page, either at substack.com/settings or by clicking your profile icon and choosing Settings.
2. In the list of publications you've joined, click the one you'd like to leave.
3. On the next page, find the Notifications section and click Unsubscribe.

This is also the best route when a newsletter arrives from an unfamiliar sender name, because that list shows every publication you're connected to in one place.

Unsubscribing from a Substack publication in the iPhone app

In the iOS app, Substack's help describes a short route:

1. Tap your profile picture to see the library of publications you subscribe to.
2. Select the publication you want to leave.
3. Tap the three dots at the top right of the screen.
4. Select Unsubscribe.

The Android app is similar, with the same three-dot menu on the publication, but menus vary by app version, so look for Unsubscribe in that menu.

Leaving one section of a Substack publication rather than all of it

Some publications are split into sections. Substack's help says that when you subscribe to a publication with sections, you're automatically subscribed to every section. If you like the main newsletter but find one stream too frequent, you don't need to leave entirely. Substack has a separate help article on unsubscribing from a section, so look for the section toggles in the publication's settings.

Stopping Substack's own emails, not just the writers' newsletters

This catches a lot of people out. Substack says that when you subscribe to a publication, it automatically creates a Substack account for you. Substack then sends occasional marketing emails and reading suggestions of its own. Unsubscribing from a newsletter doesn't switch those off.

Substack's help explains how to deal with them:

• Go to Settings and find the Marketing section.
• Untick the Email and Push boxes next to Marketing for feature news and updates.
• Untick the same boxes next to Reading suggestions to stop recommendations.
• Untick them next to Activity Digests to stop emails about replies, mentions or notes you may have missed.
• Check the Connections section if you're getting emails about new followers.

What you want to stop	What Substack's help says to use
One newsletter's emails	Unsubscribe link in an email, or Unsubscribe in the Notifications section of the publication's page
One section of a publication	The section's toggle in the publication's settings
Substack's own marketing and suggestions	The Marketing section in Settings
Every publication and Substack email	The Danger Zone section of Settings

Clearing out every Substack publication in one go

If you'd like to leave everything, Substack's help says the Danger Zone section of your Settings page lets you unsubscribe from every publication and also stop Substack emails. It's the nuclear option, so be sure before you use it.

Substack adds a warning worth remembering: disabling all emails completely unsubscribes you from a publication. That means you won't receive email newsletters, see its posts in the Substack app, or see it in your list of publications. So if you only want fewer emails but still want to read in the app, use a lighter route instead.

What Substack unsubscribing means if you run a newsletter yourself

If you write a newsletter, you'll know that every unsubscribe feels a bit personal. The thing to remember is that a clean list helps you. Readers who've left aren't reading, and the people who stay are the ones who want what you write. If you're thinking about starting your own, my guide on what newsletter software is and whether you need it makes a good starting point, and the overview at my newsletter hub collects the rest.

If you can't unsubscribe from a Substack newsletter

Try these in order:

• Check you're logged in to the same email address that receives the newsletter.
• Look in Settings for the publication, in case it's under another name.
• Make sure you completed the second step and chose Unsubscribe from all.
• Update the app if the three-dot menu is missing.
• Contact Substack through its help centre if the emails keep arriving.

Frequently asked questions

How do I unsubscribe from a Substack newsletter?

Scroll to the bottom of any email from it, select Unsubscribe, then choose Unsubscribe from all in the window that opens. You can also use Settings, the publication, then Unsubscribe under Notifications.

How do I unsubscribe in the Substack app?

On iPhone, tap your profile picture, select the publication, tap the three dots at the top right and select Unsubscribe. Menus vary on other devices.

Why am I still getting emails from Substack after unsubscribing?

Substack sends its own marketing and reading suggestions separately. Untick the Email and Push boxes in the Marketing section of Settings to stop them.

Can I leave just one section of a publication?

Yes. Substack says you're subscribed to every section by default, and there's a separate help article on turning off an individual section.

What does disabling all emails do?

Substack says it completely unsubscribes you from the publication, so you won't get its emails, see its posts in the app or see it in your list of publications.