How do I create an email forwarder in DirectAdmin?

An email forwarder automatically sends a copy of every message that arrives at one address on to another address. It is perfect for routing mail like [email protected] to your personal inbox, or for sharing incoming messages with a colleague. This guide shows you how to set one up in DirectAdmin.

What you will need #

• Your DirectAdmin login details (sent to you when your hosting was activated).
• A domain already added to your account.
• The destination address you want mail forwarded to.

Step-by-step: create a forwarder #

1. Log in to DirectAdmin at your control panel URL (usually yourdomain.com:2222).
2. Go to Account Manager and click Forwarders (also called “E-mail Forwarders”).
3. Click Create Forwarder.
4. In the Forwarder Name field, type the part before the @ (for example, info).
5. In the Destination Email field, enter the full address that should receive the mail.
6. Click Create to save.

New forwarders usually start working within a few minutes.

Forwarding to more than one address #

You can send incoming mail to several recipients at once:

• When creating or editing the forwarder, add multiple destination addresses.
• Separate each address with a comma or add them on separate lines, depending on your DirectAdmin skin.
• Every listed address will receive a copy of each message.

Keep a copy in the original mailbox #

By default, a pure forwarder does not store mail locally. If you want to both keep and forward a message:

• Create a normal email account for the address first.
• Then add a forwarder that also points to the external destination.
• This way the mailbox keeps a copy and the forward is delivered too.

Editing or deleting a forwarder #

1. Return to Forwarders in DirectAdmin.
2. Find the forwarder in the list.
3. Use Modify to change the destination, or select it and click Delete to remove it.

Troubleshooting #

• Forwarded mail not arriving: check the destination for typos and look in its spam folder.
• Messages marked as spam: forwarding can affect spam scoring. Consider setting up the account in your mail client directly instead.
• Loops: never forward an address back to itself, as this creates a mail loop.

Need a hand? #

If a forwarder is not behaving as expected, our support team is available on live chat and happy to help you check the configuration.