Mailbox-free address routing
Email forwarding for custom domains and role addresses
Route messages sent to your domains into the inboxes you already check. Create named forwarding aliases and catch-all rules without opening a separate mailbox for every public address.
Forwarding handles inbound routing. Add a hosted mailbox when you also need to send or reply from the domain.
Flexible inbound email without inbox sprawl
Give each project, role or domain a useful address while keeping daily email in fewer destinations.
Route mail to existing inboxes
Forward domain addresses to destinations your team already monitors instead of switching between unnecessary inboxes.
Create purpose-specific addresses
Use addresses such as support, billing or enquiries and change their destinations as responsibilities evolve.
Cover unexpected addresses
Configure catch-all routing when you intentionally want messages for otherwise undefined recipients on a domain.
Manage multiple domains together
Add forwarding rules across a portfolio without a per-domain subscription. Increase your forwarder allowance from the Plan Manager when you need more routes.
Simple inbound routing
What a custom-domain email forwarding service does
Email forwarding receives a message for an address on your domain and passes it to another inbox. It is useful when an address needs to exist publicly but does not justify its own storage, login and mail client. Forwarding aliases can give one destination inbox several memorable addresses.
Forwarding is not the same as an outbound mailbox. Replying directly from the destination inbox may expose its address or fail domain authentication unless you configure a proper sending identity. Use an SMTP Zen mailbox when you need to send and receive as the custom-domain address.
Set up domain forwarding in three steps
Define the domain, verify its mail routing and choose exactly where each address should arrive.
- 1
Add your domain
Register the domain in your SMTP Zen account and follow the displayed DNS instructions for inbound mail.
- 2
Create forwarding rules
Map named addresses or an intentional catch-all rule to valid destination inboxes you control.
- 3
Test receipt and replies
Send from an unrelated address, check the destination and decide whether the workflow also requires a hosted sending mailbox.
Choose explicit routes before reaching for catch-all
Clear address rules are easier to operate and generally receive less irrelevant mail than a broad wildcard.
Named forwarding addresses
Explicit routes such as invoices or legal addresses communicate purpose and can be reassigned without changing the address customers know. They are a clean default for most businesses.
Catch-all forwarding
A catch-all can recover misspelled or unplanned local parts, but it may attract more spam because every address appears valid. Enable it deliberately and monitor the destination.
Sending from a forwarded address
Forwarding alone does not provide authenticated outbound SMTP. Add a mailbox, configure it in your mail client and use the correct From identity if recipients should see replies from your domain.
Who custom-domain forwarding helps
Domain portfolio owners
Make selected domains reachable and route enquiries without maintaining a standalone inbox for every domain.
Small teams
Send role-based addresses to current staff and update destinations when ownership changes.
Projects and side businesses
Present a domain address publicly while consolidating incoming messages into a familiar inbox.
Email forwarding questions
Put every useful domain address on the right route
Start with explicit forwarding rules, test inbound delivery and add a mailbox wherever a real sending identity is needed.
Configure email forwarding