Email forwarding is a useful feature that automatically forwards emails arriving at one address to another address. In this comprehensive guide, we explain how to set this up in DirectAdmin and what options you have.

What is email forwarding?

With email forwarding, incoming emails are automatically forwarded to another email address as soon as they arrive. The original sender doesn't notice - to them it appears the email was simply delivered.

When to use forwarding?

  • Centralizing email: Forward info@, sales@, and support@ all to your main address so you only need to check one mailbox
  • Team email: Forward emails for a department to multiple team members at once
  • Receive backup: Automatically receive a copy of important emails at a second address
  • Keep old addresses: Continue receiving email sent to old addresses after rebranding
  • External accounts: Forward your business email to your personal Gmail or Outlook account

Creating a forwarder: Step by step

Step 1: Log in to DirectAdmin

  1. Go to https://yourdomain.com:2222
  2. Log in with your DirectAdmin username and password
  3. You'll see the DirectAdmin dashboard

Step 2: Navigate to Email Forwarders

  1. Find the "E-mail Manager section in the dashboard
  2. Click on "Forwarders or "E-mail Forwarding
  3. You'll see an overview of existing forwarders (possibly still empty)

Step 3: Create new forwarder

  1. Click the "Create Forwarder or "Add Forwarder button
  2. Fill in the details:

From address (Source): The address you want to forward

  • Enter just the name before the @ (for example "info")
  • Or choose an existing email address from the dropdown

To address (Destination): Where the email should go

Step 4: Save

  1. Check the entered details
  2. Click "Create or "Save
  3. The forwarder is immediately active - new emails will now be forwarded

Advanced forwarding options

Forward to multiple addresses

You can forward emails to multiple addresses at once:

Method 1: Comma-separated

  1. When creating the forwarder
  2. Add multiple email addresses, separated by commas
  3. Example: john@company.com, peter@company.com, mary@company.com

Method 2: Multiple forwarders

  1. Create multiple separate forwarders for the same source address
  2. Each forwarder sends to a different address
  3. This gives more flexibility to change individual addresses later

Forwarder with local copy retention

By default, emails are only forwarded. Want to keep a copy too?

  1. First create an email account for the address (e.g., info@yourdomain.com)
  2. Then create a forwarder for the same address
  3. Result: emails arrive in the local mailbox AND are forwarded

This is useful for:

  • Backup of all emails
  • Multiple people monitoring the same mailbox
  • Archiving while working externally

Setting up a catch-all forwarder

A catch-all captures ALL email sent to non-existent addresses on your domain:

  1. Go to "E-mail Manager" > "Catch-All E-mail
  2. Select "Forward to address or "Send to
  3. Enter the destination address (where all "stray" email should go)
  4. Click "Save

Example: If someone accidentally emails inof@yourdomain.com (typo), it still gets delivered.

Warning: Catch-all can attract A LOT of spam because spammers often try random addresses. Only use this if truly necessary.

Managing forwarders

Delete a forwarder

  1. Go to "E-mail Manager" > "Forwarders
  2. Find the forwarder in the list
  3. Click the trash icon or "Delete next to the forwarder
  4. Confirm the deletion

Modify a forwarder

DirectAdmin doesn't have a direct "edit" function for forwarders:

  1. Delete the old forwarder
  2. Create a new forwarder with the correct settings

Frequently asked questions

Can I forward to an external address like Gmail? Yes, you can forward to any valid email address, including Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or any other address.

Does the original sender remain visible? Yes, the original sender remains fully visible in the forwarded email. The recipient sees exactly who the email originally came from.

Does forwarded email count toward my quota?

  • Without local copy: No, the email is forwarded directly without storage
  • With local copy: Yes, the stored copy counts toward your quota

Can I apply filters to forwarded email? No, a forwarder forwards all email without filtering. For filters, you're better off:

  • Receiving the email first in a local mailbox
  • Setting up filters in your email program (Outlook, Gmail, etc.)

How fast is email forwarded? Almost instantly - usually within seconds. There's no noticeable delay.

Can I see which emails were forwarded? No, there's no log of forwarded emails. If you want to track this, keep a local copy.

Troubleshooting

Email is not being forwarded

  1. Check the forwarder: Go to Forwarders and verify the forwarder is set up correctly
  2. Wait a moment: New forwarders may need 5-10 minutes
  3. Check spam folder: Look in the spam folder of the destination address
  4. Test with different sender: Send a test email from an external address

Receiving duplicate emails

This happens when you have both:

  • An email account for the address (that you're reading)
  • A forwarder to the same address where you read your mail

Solution: Choose one method - either the local mailbox or forwarding, not both to the same destination.

Error when creating forwarder

  • "Address already exists: A forwarder or account with this address already exists
  • "Invalid email: The destination address is not a valid email address
  • "Cannot forward to self: You're trying to forward to the same address

Tips for effective use

  1. Document your forwarders: Keep a list of which addresses forward where
  2. Test after creating: Always send a test email to verify forwarding works
  3. Consider aliases: For some situations, an email alias is more convenient than a forwarder
  4. Check regularly: Review your forwarders periodically and remove unused ones
  5. Be careful with external forwarding: Some external providers (Gmail) may mark forwarded email as suspicious

Need help?

We're here for you! Running into issues or have questions? Our support team is happy to help you personally. Drop us a message through the ticket system - we usually respond within a few hours and love helping you find the best solution.