> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.get2dial.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Lead states

> The four states a lead moves through, what triggers each transition, and which one is terminal for a lead.

Every lead is in exactly one of four states, and moves through them in response to dialing and
dispositions — never set directly by you.

## How it works

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart LR
    A[Fresh] -->|dialed| B[Attempted]
    B -->|call connects| C[Contacted]
    B -->|non-terminal disposition| B
    C -->|non-terminal disposition| B
    B -->|terminal disposition, attempt cap, or DNC| D[Closed]
    C -->|terminal disposition, attempt cap, or DNC| D
```

| State         | Meaning                                          | How a lead arrives here                                                                                    |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Fresh**     | Imported, never dialed                           | [Import](/outbound/leads/import-a-lead-list), or [reset](/outbound/leads/recycle-and-reset-leads)          |
| **Attempted** | Dialed at least once, no live connection since   | A dial attempt from Fresh, or a non-terminal disposition after a connected call                            |
| **Contacted** | Connected to an agent on the most recent attempt | The call bridges to an agent                                                                               |
| **Closed**    | Terminal — never dialed again                    | A [terminal disposition](/outbound/dispositions/overview), the campaign's max-attempts cap, or a DNC match |

## When to use it

You don't set a lead's state directly — read it to understand why a lead isn't dialing.
**Closed** is the state to check first when a lead you expect to be called isn't: it means the
dialer has permanently stopped attempting it.

## What it affects

A campaign's pacer only dials **Fresh** and **Attempted** leads that are also due by [calling
hours](/outbound/campaigns/campaign-settings) and any retry delay. **Contacted** and
**Closed** leads are never selected for a new attempt — **Contacted** means the most
recent attempt is still being worked or has ended; the disposition recorded for that call is
what decides whether the lead returns to **Attempted** or moves to **Closed**.

## Limits and constraints

There's no way to move a lead backward from **Closed** except a [reset](/outbound/leads/recycle-and-reset-leads),
and a reset skips any lead currently on your DNC list — DNC suppression can't be reversed by a
reset.

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Manage leads" href="/outbound/leads/manage-leads" />

  <Card title="Recycle and reset leads" href="/outbound/leads/recycle-and-reset-leads" />
</CardGroup>