---
title: "Apply a Segment (Group / Sendout / Automation)"
slug: "engage-apply-a-segment"
status: "new"
updated: 2026-07-31T15:32:14Z
published: 2026-07-31T15:32:14Z
canonical: "docs.mapp.com/engage-apply-a-segment"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mapp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Apply a Segment (Group / Sendout / Automation)

## Goal

Apply a segment to target contacts. Depending on where you apply it, a segment can work in three ways: **persistently** by transferring matching contacts into a group's membership, **transiently** by filtering a sendout at the moment of delivery, or inside an **automation** to limit which contacts it affects.

Segments let you narrow an audience to a defined set of contacts, such as contacts with certain behaviors or profile attributes. A segment can contain as many criteria as needed.

---

## Apply to a Group (Transfer)

Transfer contacts who match your segment criteria into an existing group's membership. This helps validate complex segment logic, refresh an audience, or prepare groups for campaigns and automation. For example, if you have created a segment with several behavioral and profile-based conditions, you can transfer the matching contacts to a temporary group and review individual profiles to confirm the segment returns the contacts you expect.

### Procedure

There are two ways to transfer contacts. The best option depends on where you start:

- **Segmentation Builder** – Ideal when you want to validate or refine a segment you are currently working on.
- **Contact Management** – Ideal when you want to update an existing group and review its context before transferring contacts.

****Option 1: From Segmentation Builder****

1. Go to *Audience > Segmentation > Segmentation Builder*.
2. Click the segment plan you want to add to a group once. A bar with the options **More** and **Edit appears at the top**.
3. Click **More** and then click **Transfer**. The **Transfer Segment** window opens to the **Update Existing Group** tab.
4. In the **Transfer Segment** window: ![](https://cdn.document360.io/554b9b98-6720-4d8b-9919-c7b203d72648/Images/Documentation/image(935).png)
  - Select **transfer mode**:
    - **Add** – Add contacts not yet in the group.
    - **Replace** – Replace all current members with matching segment contacts.
    - **Remove** – Remove matching contacts from the group.
  - Choose a **group**.
  - Choose the **amount** to transfer: **All**, **Percentage**, or **Number** (selected randomly by ID).
5. Click **Transfer**.

****Option 2: From Contact Management****

1. Go to *Audience​ >​ Contact Management > Group Members*.
2. From the **​Group** drop-down list, select a group.
3. Click the **​Add Segment** button.
4. Configure the transfer
  - Select **All**, **Percentage**, or **Number** of matching contacts.
  - Select **Add**, **Replace**, or **Remove**.
  - Enter a **Notification Address** if a system user should receive a message when the transfer is complete.
5. Click **​Transfer**.

Mapp Engage transfers the contacts who match the segment criteria into the group.

---

## Apply at Sendout (Filter)

Deliver a message only to the specific subset of contacts in a group who match your chosen segment criteria. Unlike a transfer, this does not change group membership: the segment filters the sendout group at the moment of delivery only.

A **sendout group** is always required. The segment filters the group but does not replace it. You can apply **one segment per sendout**, but the segment itself can contain as many criteria as needed.

**Note**

When a segment is calculated, Mapp Engage shows the number of contacts who currently match the criteria. During sendout, the final number of messages may be lower because addresses with known delivery issues are skipped. For more information, see [Skipped Messages (tab)](/v1/docs/skipped-messages-tab).

### Procedure

1. Create a message.
2. In the **Compose Message** wizard, open the *Prepare Sendout* step.
3. Select the sendout group.
4. In the **Segment** area, choose the segment you want to apply.
  - Only one segment can be applied per sendout.
5. Continue with message sendout.

Mapp Engage sends the message only to group members who match all criteria in the selected segment.

---

## Apply to an Automation

You can limit an automation to specific contacts or users by adding a selection.

### Time-based automations

In time-based automations, you limit the impact of the automation to certain contacts or users. See [Time-Based Automation v1.0](/v1/docs/time-based-automations).

### Event-based automations

In event-based automations, you can limit:

- whether a contact can trigger the event,
- contacts that will be impacted by the trigger.

Some whiteboards require a selection. For example, the automation that you use to send a birthday message requires a selection. See [Event-Based Automation](/v1/docs/event-based-automation).

**Note**

All automations provide an input field where you can add a selection.

### Procedure

1. Go to *Automations > Whiteboards*.
2. Create a whiteboard. The interface provides a drop-down list where you choose the type of selection.

### Related Topics

[Whiteboards](/v1/docs/whiteboards)