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Handling Email Bounces with Email Forwarding

Table of Contents

When using email forwarding, bounces are handled differently than with direct email delivery. DNSimple’s email forwarding service handles bounces from the final destination internally – bounces are not forwarded back to the original sender.

How bounces work with email forwarding

Email forwarding flow

When an email is forwarded:

  1. Email arrives: Email arrives at the forwarding service
  2. Forwarding: Email is forwarded to the destination address
  3. Delivery attempt: Forwarding service attempts to deliver to destination
  4. Bounce (if applicable): If delivery fails, a bounce may occur

Bounce behavior at DNSimple

DNSimple’s email forwarding service handles bounces internally. If the destination address bounces, the bounce goes to the forwarding service — it is not forwarded back to the original sender. This means original senders will not know if a forwarded email failed to deliver.

Types of bounces with forwarding

Hard bounces

Hard bounces indicate permanent delivery failures to the forwarded destination.

Common causes:

  • Invalid destination email address
  • Destination domain does not exist
  • Destination mailbox does not exist

What happens:

  • The forwarding service receives the bounce
  • The bounce is handled by the forwarding service
  • The original sender typically does not receive the bounce

Action:

  • Update the destination email address if it is invalid
  • Remove the email forward if the destination no longer exists

Soft bounces

Soft bounces indicate temporary delivery failures to the forwarded destination.

Common causes:

  • Destination mailbox is full
  • Destination server is temporarily unavailable
  • Message size exceeds limits

What happens:

  • The forwarding service may retry delivery
  • The bounce may be temporary
  • If persistent, it may become a hard bounce

Action:

  • Monitor soft bounces
  • Contact the destination if mailbox is full
  • Update destination if issues persist

Managing bounces with email forwarding

Monitor forwarded email delivery

Check delivery:

  • Send test emails to forwarded addresses
  • Verify emails arrive at destinations
  • Monitor for delivery issues

Check destination mailboxes:

  • Ensure destination mailboxes are active
  • Check for full mailboxes
  • Verify destination addresses are correct

Update email forwards

If bounces occur:

  1. Verify destination:
    • Check that the destination email address is correct
    • Confirm the destination mailbox exists
    • Test sending directly to the destination
  2. Update the forward:
    • Correct any typos in destination addresses
    • Update to new destination if needed
    • Delete forwards with invalid destinations
  3. Test after changes:
    • Send test emails after updating
    • Verify delivery works correctly

Handle persistent bounces

If a destination consistently bounces:

  1. Investigate:
    • Check if destination address is valid
    • Verify destination mailbox status
    • Contact destination if needed
  2. Take action:
    • Update destination if it changed
    • Remove forward if destination is invalid
    • Consider alternative destinations

Best practices

Verify destinations

  • Verify destination email addresses are correct when creating forwards
  • Test destinations before relying on forwarding
  • Keep destination addresses updated

Monitor regularly

  • Send test emails periodically to verify forwarding works
  • Check destination mailboxes are active
  • Monitor for delivery issues

Update promptly

  • Update email forwards when destinations change
  • Remove forwards with invalid destinations
  • Fix any issues immediately

Document configuration

  • Keep a list of all email forwards and destinations
  • Document any changes to forwards
  • Note any bounce-related issues

Common scenarios

Scenario 1: Destination mailbox full

Problem: Destination mailbox is full, causing soft bounces.

Solution:

  • Contact the destination to clear the mailbox
  • Monitor for resolution
  • Consider alternative destination if persistent

Scenario 2: Invalid destination address

Problem: Destination email address does not exist, causing hard bounces.

Solution:

  • Verify the correct destination address
  • Update the email forward with correct address
  • Remove forward if destination is truly invalid

Scenario 3: Destination domain does not exist

Problem: Destination domain does not exist, causing hard bounces.

Solution:

  • Verify destination domain is correct
  • Update forward if domain changed
  • Remove forward if domain no longer exists

Limitations

Bounce forwarding

Most email forwarding services, including DNSimple, do not forward bounces back to the original sender. The forwarding service handles bounces internally.

Impact:

  • Original senders may not know if forwarded emails bounce
  • You need to monitor forwarded email delivery yourself
  • Test emails periodically to verify forwarding works

Bounce notifications

You may not receive notifications about bounces from forwarded emails.

Solution:

  • Monitor forwarded email delivery yourself
  • Send test emails periodically
  • Check destination mailboxes regularly
  • Update forwards when destinations change

Troubleshooting

Emails not arriving at destination

Problem: Emails sent to forwarded addresses are not arriving at destinations.

Possible causes:

  • Destination email address is incorrect
  • Destination mailbox is full
  • Destination server is rejecting emails
  • Email forwarding configuration issue

Solutions:

  1. Verify destination email address is correct
  2. Check destination mailbox status
  3. Send test email directly to destination
  4. Check email forwarding configuration
  5. Contact support if issues persist

Bounces from forwarded emails

Problem: You are receiving bounces from emails sent to forwarded addresses.

Possible causes:

  • Destination is bouncing emails
  • Destination address is invalid
  • Destination server is rejecting emails

Solutions:

  1. Verify destination email address
  2. Check destination mailbox status
  3. Update or remove email forward if needed
  4. Contact destination if appropriate

Have more questions?

If you have additional questions or need any assistance with handling email bounces with email forwarding, just contact support, and we’ll be happy to help.