Email Forwarding for a Custom Domain: Complete Beginner Guide

Want emails sent to you@yourdomain.com to arrive in your Gmail, Outlook, or any inbox you already use? That is exactly what email forwarding does. This guide explains what it is, when to use it, and how to set it up step by step, even if you have never touched DNS before.

What is email forwarding?

Email forwarding lets you receive mail at addresses on your domain (like hello@yourdomain.com) and automatically deliver it to another inbox (like yourname@gmail.com).

It is different from “email hosting.” With hosting, you get a real mailbox on your domain. With forwarding, your domain address is more like a “smart redirect” that sends mail to where you already read it.

  • Forwarding is great if you want professional addresses without paying for mailboxes.
  • Hosting is better if multiple people need separate inboxes with storage, calendars, and admin controls.

What you need before you start

  • A domain you own (for example: yourdomain.com).
  • Access to your domain’s DNS settings (usually at your registrar or DNS provider).
  • An inbox where you want to receive forwarded mail (Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, etc.).
  • An email forwarding provider (or a service that supports forwarding for your domain).

If you are unsure where DNS is managed, check your domain registrar first. Many people buy a domain at one place and manage DNS somewhere else, like a CDN or DNS provider.

How email forwarding works (simple explanation)

When someone emails you@yourdomain.com, their mail server needs to know where to deliver the message. It looks up your domain’s MX records (Mail Exchanger records). MX records tell the internet which mail servers handle incoming email for your domain.

If you use an email forwarding service, you set your MX records to point to that service. The forwarding service receives the message and then delivers it to your chosen inbox.

This is why MX records are the key step. Without correct MX records, mail will not arrive.

Step-by-step setup

  1. Pick your forwarding provider and create an account.
  2. Add your domain inside the provider dashboard.
  3. Update MX records in your DNS to point to the provider.
  4. Create aliases like hello@, support@, jobs@, or set up catch-all if you want.
  5. Test delivery by sending emails from a different address.

The rest of this article walks through the details, including what to paste into DNS and how to troubleshoot issues.

How to add MX records

Your forwarding provider will show you the exact MX records to add. Typically you will:

  1. Open your DNS manager (where you edit records like A, CNAME, TXT, MX).
  2. Delete old MX records (only if you are switching providers and those MX records are no longer needed).
  3. Add the new MX records exactly as provided.
  4. Save changes and wait for DNS to update (often minutes, sometimes up to 24 hours).

Example MX record format

Your provider may give you one or more MX records. They usually look like this: 

Type: MX
Name/Host: @
Priority: 10
Value/Server: mx1.provider.example

Type: MX
Name/Host: @
Priority: 20
Value/Server: mx2.provider.example

Notes:

  • Name/Host is often @ to mean the root domain.
  • Priority matters. Lower number usually means higher priority.
  • Do not add extra spaces, and do not change punctuation.

Create forwarding addresses (aliases)

An alias is a forwarding address on your domain that sends mail to a real inbox. For example:

  • hello@yourdomain.com forwards to yourname@gmail.com
  • support@yourdomain.com forwards to team@company.com

Recommended aliases for beginners

  • hello@ or contact@ for general messages
  • support@ for customer support
  • billing@ for invoices and receipts
  • jobs@ for recruiting

What is catch-all forwarding?

Catch-all means any address at your domain (even one you did not create) will forward to your inbox. Example: if someone emails random@yourdomain.com, it still arrives.

Catch-all is convenient, but it can attract more spam. If you enable it, make sure your forwarding provider has spam filtering and good controls.

How to test your forwarding

  1. Wait at least 10 to 30 minutes after saving MX records.
  2. Send a test email from a different account (for example, from Gmail to your domain address).
  3. Check your destination inbox.
  4. If nothing arrives, check spam and then review the troubleshooting section below.

Tip: test at least two aliases, and test one that does not exist if you enabled catch-all.

Common mistakes and fixes

Mistake 1: MX records added to the wrong place

If your domain uses a different DNS provider than your registrar, updating MX records in the wrong dashboard will do nothing. Fix: find the active DNS provider for your domain and update records there.

Mistake 2: Wrong host name

Many DNS tools want @ for the root domain. Others want the domain name blank. Fix: follow your DNS provider’s rules, but keep the MX target values exactly as your forwarding provider gives them.

Mistake 3: Old MX records still present

If you have multiple mail providers listed in MX records, mail delivery can become unpredictable. Fix: keep only the MX records you actually need for the service you want to receive email.

Mistake 4: Expecting forwarding to “send as” your domain

Forwarding is for receiving. Sending from you@yourdomain.com is a different feature. Fix: use your inbox provider’s “send mail as” feature or a dedicated sending setup if you need outbound mail.

Mistake 5: Missing DNS time to propagate

DNS changes can take time. It often updates quickly, but sometimes it can take longer. Fix: wait and re-test, and confirm your MX records are visible with a DNS checker.

FAQ

Is email forwarding safe?

It can be safe if you use a reputable provider, enable account security like 2FA, and keep clear logs and controls. You should also understand what metadata your provider stores and for how long.

Will email forwarding affect deliverability?

Most people receive forwarded mail fine, but forwarding can sometimes trigger spam filters depending on sender authentication. A good forwarding provider handles this carefully and provides spam filtering and reliability features.

Do I need to buy email hosting?

Not if you just want to receive email at your domain and read it in an existing inbox. Forwarding is usually enough. If you want full mailboxes on your domain, then hosting is the next step.

Can I forward to multiple inboxes?

Many providers let one alias forward to multiple destinations (for example, support@ goes to two teammates). If you need that, make sure your forwarding tool supports multi-recipient routing.

Next steps

Once forwarding works, the next improvement is setting up your domain with good email authentication practices and a small set of well-named aliases that you use everywhere. This keeps your brand consistent and your email setup simple.

If you are building a forwarding setup for a business, consider creating separate aliases for support and billing so messages do not get lost in a personal inbox.

by Unknown