KB: How to Set and Manage Email Forwarders in cPanel

Email forwarders are a convenient feature in cPanel that automatically redirect incoming emails from one address to another. This can be used to consolidate multiple email accounts into a single inbox, create professional-looking email aliases (like info@yourdomain.com), or ensure that emails sent to old addresses still reach you.

This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to create and manage email forwarders, including detailed examples and different use cases.

---

Step 1: Access the Forwarders Interface

1. Log In to cPanel: Start by logging in to your cPanel account.

2. Navigate to Forwarders: In the Email section of the cPanel dashboard, click on the Forwarders icon. This will take you to the main forwarders management page.

---

Step 2: Creating a New Email Forwarder

There are two main types of forwarders you can create: an "Email Account Forwarder" for a single email address, and a "Domain Forwarder" which forwards all emails for an entire domain. We'll focus on the more common "Email Account Forwarder" first.

1. Click "Add Forwarder": On the main Forwarders page, click the Add Forwarder button.

2. Configure the "Address to Forward":

   • Address: In the first field, enter the part of the email address before the @ symbol. For example, if you want to forward emails from sales@yourdomain.com, you would enter sales.

   • Domain: Use the dropdown menu to select the domain that the email address belongs to.

3. Choose a "Destination": This is where you specify what happens to the emails. The most common option is to forward the email to another address.

   • Forward to Email Address: Select this option and enter the full email address where you want the messages to be sent (e.g., you@gmail.com or anotheruser@yourdomain.com).

4. Click "Add Forwarder": After filling in the details, click the Add Forwarder button to save your new forwarder.

---

Practical Examples of Email Forwarders

Here are some common scenarios where email forwarders are extremely useful:

Example 1: Creating an Alias for a User

You can set up multiple addresses to forward to a single user's mailbox. This is perfect for creating professional aliases.

• Scenario: You want all emails sent to info@yourdomain.com, sales@yourdomain.com, and support@yourdomain.com to be delivered to a single person's primary inbox, which is john.doe@yourdomain.com.

• How to Set It Up:

  1. Create a forwarder from info@yourdomain.com to john.doe@yourdomain.com.

  2. Create a second forwarder from sales@yourdomain.com to john.doe@yourdomain.com.

  3. Create a third forwarder from support@yourdomain.com to john.doe@yourdomain.com.

Each of these forwarders will now send a copy of the email to the john.doe@yourdomain.com inbox, consolidating all inquiries in one place.

Example 2: Forwarding to Multiple Recipients

A single email address can forward to several different people. This is great for team communication.

• Scenario: You want all emails sent to team@yourdomain.com to be forwarded to every member of your team: john.doe@yourdomain.com, jane.smith@yourdomain.com, and alex.jones@yourdomain.com.

• How to Set It Up:

  1. Create the forwarder for team@yourdomain.com.

  2. Under "Destination," you can typically enter multiple email addresses separated by commas. Enter john.doe@yourdomain.com, jane.smith@yourdomain.com, alex.jones@yourdomain.com.

Now, any email sent to team@yourdomain.com will be delivered to the inboxes of all three team members.

Example 3: Forwarding an Email but Keeping a Local Copy

If you have an existing email account (e.g., admin@yourdomain.com) but also want all its messages forwarded to a different address, you can do so.

• Important: For this to work, you must first create the admin@yourdomain.com email account in cPanel.

• How to Set It Up:

  1. Go to Email Accounts and create admin@yourdomain.com.

  2. Go to Forwarders and create a new forwarder.

  3. Set the forwarder from admin@yourdomain.com to your desired destination (e.g., personalemail@example.net).

Emails will now be delivered to both the admin@yourdomain.com mailbox on your server and forwarded to your personal email.

---

Advanced Forwarding Options

When creating a forwarder, you can access Advanced Options to customize its behavior further:

• Discard with a Custom Message: This is an alternative to a regular forward. If you receive emails at a certain address that you want to reject, you can discard them and send a custom bounce-back message to the sender (e.g., "This email address is no longer in use.").

• Pipe to a Program: This is an advanced option for developers. It allows you to automatically send the contents of an incoming email to a custom script (e.g., a PHP script) for automated processing.

Managing Existing Forwarders

The main Forwarders page lists all the forwarders you have created. From this list, you can:

• Delete: Click the Delete button next to a forwarder to remove it. You will be asked to confirm the deletion.

• Edit: To change a forwarder, you must first delete it and then create a new one with the updated settings.

Email forwarders are an essential tool for efficient email management, providing a flexible way to route your mail exactly where you need it to go.