Email Management
Setting Up an Email Forwarder in cPanel Without a Full Mailbox
A forwarder routes mail from one address, or an entire domain, straight to another inbox — useful for a role address like sales@ that shouldn't need its own separate mailbox to check.
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Forwarder types: single address and domain-wide catch-all
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Extra mailboxes or passwords needed for a forwarded address
1-click
Setup inside cPanel's Forwarders section
24/7
Human support for forwarder or catch-all issues
In short
To set up an email forwarder in cPanel, go to Email > Forwarders, click Add Forwarder, enter the address to forward from (like info@yourdomain.com), choose 'Forward to Email Address,' and enter the destination inbox. Save it, and every message sent to that address is copied to the destination automatically, without needing a mailbox or password for the forwarded address itself.
For routing an entire domain's mail rather than one address, cPanel's Forwarders section also supports a domain-level (catch-all) forwarder, which sends anything addressed to that domain, including typos and addresses that don't formally exist, to one destination inbox.
Not every email address needs its own full mailbox with a separate password to remember and check. A forwarder is the lighter-weight option: mail sent to one address is simply copied to another inbox that already exists, which is exactly what a role address like sales@, support@, or info@ often needs — someone checks it, but it doesn't need to be its own standalone account.
cPanel's Forwarders section handles both address-level forwarding (one specific address routed to one destination) and domain-level catch-all forwarding (everything sent to the domain, regardless of the address before the @, routed to one place). Knowing which one fits the situation, and understanding a couple of the ways catch-all forwarding can misbehave, makes the setup straightforward rather than a source of missed mail.
Setting Up a Single Address Forwarder
Log in to cPanel and open Email > Forwarders. Click Add Forwarder, then enter the address you want to forward from — for example, sales — and confirm the domain dropdown shows the correct domain if the account manages more than one. Under 'Destination,' select 'Forward to Email Address' and type the inbox that should receive the copies, which can be another mailbox on the same domain or a completely external address.
Click Add Forwarder to save it. From that point on, anything sent to the forwarded address arrives at the destination inbox automatically, with no separate password, webmail login, or mailbox storage allocated to the forwarded address itself — it exists purely as a routing rule.
Setting Up a Domain-Level (Catch-All) Forwarder
For routing everything sent to a domain, rather than one specific address, cPanel's Forwarders section includes a 'Default Address' (catch-all) option, usually accessed via a link near the top of the Forwarders page. Select the domain, then choose to forward unmatched mail to a specific address rather than bouncing it or discarding it.
This catches messages sent to any address on the domain that doesn't have its own mailbox or forwarder already set up — including simple typos in a customer's email, like sals@ instead of sales@, which would otherwise bounce back as undeliverable. It's a convenient safety net, but it also means the destination inbox will receive spam sent to made-up or guessed addresses on the domain, since a catch-all has no way to distinguish a real typo from a spammer's random guess.
Multiple Destinations and Forwarding Chains
A single forwarder can only route to one destination address at a time through the standard Add Forwarder form, but adding several separate forwarder entries for the same source address (or using an address that then forwards again from its own destination) achieves a similar result, sending copies to more than one place. Keep in mind that chaining forwarders — an address forwarding to another address that itself forwards elsewhere — adds a hop that can occasionally trigger spam filters flagging the message as suspicious, so a direct forward to the final destination is usually more reliable.
For a role address that several people need visibility into, an alternative worth considering instead of multiple forwarders is a full mailbox everyone logs into, or the destination address itself sharing access rather than layering forwarders. Forwarders work best for a clean one-to-one (or one-to-a-few) routing need, not as a substitute for shared mailbox access.
Removing or Editing a Forwarder
To change where a forwarder sends mail, there's typically no direct edit option — delete the existing forwarder from the Forwarders list and create a new one with the updated destination. This takes effect immediately, so double-check the new destination address is correct before deleting the old entry, especially for a business-critical address like info@ or support@ where a mistyped destination means missed mail rather than just an inconvenience.
If a forwarder stops working, or mail forwarded from it starts landing in the destination's spam folder, it's worth checking that address's SPF and DKIM records rather than assuming the forwarder itself is broken, since forwarded mail can sometimes trip authentication checks at the receiving end depending on how the original sender's domain is configured.
Route Mail Without Multiplying Mailboxes
A forwarder is often the right amount of setup for a role address that just needs mail routed somewhere, without the overhead of a full separate mailbox.
Hosting Cheap's cPanel-style panel makes single-address and domain-wide forwarders a few clicks in the Forwarders section, with 24/7 human support if a catch-all setup starts pulling in more spam than expected.
- cPanel Forwarders section for both single-address and catch-all routing
- Full mailboxes available too, for addresses that need their own inbox instead
- Free auto-renewing SSL securing the cPanel session used to manage forwarders
- 24/7 human support for forwarding chains or unexpected spam through a catch-all
Why Hosting Cheap
What you get
cPanel Forwarders section
Set up single-address or domain-wide catch-all forwarding in a few clicks, no extra software needed.
No extra mailbox required
Route a role address like sales@ to an existing inbox without allocating separate mailbox storage.
Free auto-renewing SSL
Keeps the cPanel session used to manage forwarders and DNS records encrypted.
1-click installer access
Combine forwarders with a full webmail setup for addresses that later need their own mailbox.
Daily backups
cPanel configuration, including forwarder rules, has a recovery point if changes need reverting.
24/7 human support
Get help troubleshooting a catch-all pulling in spam or a forwarder that stopped delivering.
How It Works
Get set up in a few steps
Open Email > Forwarders in cPanel
Navigate to the Forwarders section for the domain you want to set up routing for.
Add a single-address or catch-all forwarder
Choose Add Forwarder for one address, or set a Default Address for everything on the domain.
Confirm delivery and monitor for spam
Send a test message and check the destination inbox, watching a catch-all setup for unwanted spam volume.
Included
Everything you need, on every plan
- Correct domain selected if the cPanel account manages more than one
- Destination address double-checked for typos before saving
- Single-address forwarder used for a specific role address like sales@
- Catch-all considered only if catching typo'd addresses outweighs extra spam
- Forwarding chains avoided in favor of direct routing to the final destination
- Test email sent and confirmed to arrive at the destination inbox
- SPF and DKIM checked if forwarded mail starts landing in spam
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do I forward one email address to another in cPanel?
Go to Email > Forwarders, click Add Forwarder, enter the address to forward from, choose 'Forward to Email Address,' and enter the destination. Save it, and mail sent to that address copies automatically to the destination inbox.
What is a catch-all email forwarder?
A catch-all (or default address) forwarder routes any mail sent to your domain that doesn't match an existing mailbox or forwarder to one destination inbox. It's useful for catching typos in customer emails but also picks up spam sent to random or guessed addresses on the domain.
Do I need a mailbox to receive forwarded email?
No, the address you forward from doesn't need its own mailbox, password, or storage — it exists purely as a routing rule. You only need an existing mailbox at the destination address where the mail actually lands.
Can I forward one email address to more than one destination?
The standard Add Forwarder form routes to a single destination at a time, so reaching multiple destinations usually means setting up separate forwarder entries or considering a shared mailbox instead. Chaining forwarders through each other works but adds a hop that can occasionally trigger spam filtering.
Why is my catch-all forwarder receiving so much spam?
A catch-all accepts mail sent to any address on the domain, including ones spammers guess or generate randomly, since it can't tell a real typo from an invalid random address. If spam volume becomes a problem, switching to specific single-address forwarders for only the addresses you actually use reduces this.
How do I change where a forwarder sends mail?
There's typically no direct edit option in cPanel — delete the existing forwarder and create a new one with the updated destination address. Double-check the new address before deleting the old entry to avoid a gap in mail delivery.
Related hosting
Email Hosting
Mailboxes and forwarders managed together from one cPanel-style email section.
Web Hosting
cPanel-style hosting with a full Forwarders section for routing mail without extra mailboxes.
Business Hosting
Hosting suited to role-based addresses like sales@ and support@ that need mail routed, not a full inbox.
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