How to Setup and Configure EMail Forwarding in cPanel

Posted on by Jay Allen | Updated:
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Forwarding email from one account to another using cPanel is a simple matter, but how you set it up can have a big impact on your server!

cPanel includes tools for domains that make forwarding email effortless, but many users aren’t aware of a couple of options that are not so obvious at first.

You can set up an email forwarder using cPanel in one of two ways:

  • Just a forwarder
  • An email account AND a forwarder

Each of these options has potential benefits and drawbacks:

If you set up a forwarder AND an actual email address you will copy the messages, meaning the local server will keep a copy of all messages sent to it AND it will forward a copy to the target email address specified by the forwarder.

Setting up just a forwarder will result in the messages being forwarded to the target email address, but they will only exist at that address. The local server will not keep a copy of the messages that are sent to the forwarding email address.

Just a Forwarder

Log in to your domain’s cPanel and find the icon in the Mail section called Forwarders.

Example:

Forwarders Step 1

The Forwarders screen will list any existing forwarders you have already configured (in the example below there are none). To create a new forwarder, click the button marked Add Forwarder.

Example:

Forwarders Step 2

On the following screen enter the address you wish to forward (1), then enter the target email address that will be receiving the forwarded messages (2). When you have entered the required information click the Add Forwarder button (3).

Example:

Forwarders Step 3

Your new forwarder is set up and will start working immediately!

Email Account and a Forwarder

Log in to your domain’s cPanel and find the icon in the Mail section called Email Accounts.

Example:

Forwarders Step 4

On the Email Accounts screen type in the name of the address you want to create (1), then type your desired password (2) and (3), or you can use the Password Generator button to create one for you. Change the quota settings if you wish. Click on the Create Account button (4) when you are done.

Example:

Forwarders Step 5

Your email account is now active and ready for use! If you want to save a copy of the messages sent to this address and forward them to a different address you will need to follow the first set of instructions above and create a forwarder with the same account name.

It is important to remember that if you configure both an e-mail account and a forwarder the server will keep copies of all messages sent to that e-mail address. If you do not periodically delete some locally stored copies then the e-mail account’s disk usage can quickly grow. If your cPanel account has a limited amount of hard drive space available you could potentially cause some problems by storing too much mail.

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Liquid Web’s Heroic Support is always available to assist customers with this or any other issue. If you need our assistance please contact us:
Toll Free 1.800.580.4985
International 517.322.0434
support@liquidweb.com
https://my.liquidweb.com/

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About the Author: Jay Allen

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