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What Is Email Forwarding?

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Email forwarding is a service that automatically redirects email sent to one address to another. When someone sends an email to an address at your domain (e.g., hello@yourdomain.com), the email is forwarded to a destination address you specify (e.g., yourname@gmail.com). At DNSimple, email forwarding lets you use professional addresses at your domain without a full email hosting service.

How email forwarding works

When you set up email forwarding at DNSimple:

  1. DNS configuration: DNSimple automatically adds the DNS records email forwarding needs to your zone. It adds the forwarding MX records and deletes any other MX records at the root of the zone. It adds the forwarding service to your SPF record, merging it into your existing SPF record if you have one.

  2. Email reception: When someone sends an email to an address at your domain, DNSimple’s email forwarding service receives it.

  3. Automatic forwarding: The email is forwarded to the destination email address you configured.

  4. Delivery: The forwarded email arrives in the inbox of your destination email address.

Why use email forwarding?

Professional email addresses: Use custom email addresses at your domain (like info@yourdomain.com or support@yourdomain.com) without the complexity of managing a full email server.

Centralized management: Forward multiple email addresses to a single inbox, making it easier to manage all your emails in one place.

Flexibility: Change where emails are forwarded without updating your email client or notifying senders.

Cost-effective: Email forwarding costs $2 per domain per month, less than most full email hosting services.

No email client setup required: Emails are forwarded to an existing email account, so you do not need to configure email clients or manage email servers.

Email forwarding vs. email hosting: which do you need?

Email forwarding and email hosting serve different purposes:

  • Email forwarding: Redirects emails to another address. You cannot send emails from the forwarded address directly; you can only receive and forward them.

  • Email hosting: Provides full email functionality, including the ability to send and receive emails, store messages, and manage email accounts.

DNSimple provides email forwarding but not email hosting. If you need full email hosting capabilities, you can use services like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or other providers, and configure their DNS records using DNSimple.

What is catch-all email forwarding?

DNSimple supports catch-all email forwarding, which forwards emails sent to any address at your domain that does not have a specific forwarding rule. With a catch-all forward configured, emails sent to anything@yourdomain.com are forwarded to your specified destination address, even if you have not created a specific forward for that address.

Note

When you have a catch-all email forward, it only applies to emails sent to addresses that do not already have a specific email forward set up. If an email is sent to an address that has a matching email forward, only that email forward will handle it; the catch-all will not apply. This ensures each email is forwarded just once, avoiding duplicates and helping protect your privacy.

How many email forwards can I have?

Email forwarding costs $2 per domain per month. The number of email forwards and forwarded messages allowed per domain depends on your plan: Solo includes up to 10 email forwards and 1,000 messages per month, Solo Pro up to 15 email forwards and 5,000 messages, and Teams up to 25 email forwards and 10,000 messages. See Email Forwarding Limits and Quotas for details.

What do I need to start?

To start using email forwarding, you will need:

  1. A domain managed in your DNSimple account with a primary (forward) zone. Email forwarding is not supported for secondary zones.
  2. A DNSimple plan that includes email forwarding.
  3. Email forwarding rules configured for the addresses you want to forward.

Warning

When you create an email forward, DNSimple deletes the domain’s other MX records at the root of the zone. If you currently use another email provider, that service stops receiving your email.

For step-by-step instructions, see How to Set Up Email Forwarding.

Have more questions?

If you have additional questions or need any assistance with email forwarding, contact support, and we will be happy to help. You can also read more about email forwarding at DNSimple.