How to create and manage email forwarders using cPanel

Send a copy of any incoming email from one address to another. For example, forward [e-mail] to [e-mail] so that you only have one inbox to check.

Location under cPanel

cPanel >> Home >> Email >> Forwarders

Overview

This interface allows you configure an email address to forward copies of incoming emails to another address. This is useful if, for example, you want to use one email address to check emails addressed to multiple accounts. You can also discard email or send (pipe) email to a program.

To manage forwarders for a specific domain on your account, select the desired domain from the Managing menu.

Note:To manage forwarders for email accounts that use the BoxTrapper feature (cPanel >> Home >> Email >> BoxTrapper), use the BoxTrapper Forward List feature.

Email Account Forwarders

The Email Account Forwarders table lists all of the email addresses that use a forwarder to redirect email to another address or service.

• To quickly find a specific email address, enter a keyword in the Search text box and click Go.

• To view the route that a forwarded email takes, click Trace in the Functions next to that email address.

• To delete a forwarder, click Delete next to that email address, and then click Delete Forwarder to confirm.

Important:

• If you do not delete the cPanel account for which email is forwarded, both accounts will receive email.

• If you wish to forward all incoming mail from one account to another but do not want to receive email at the first account, create a forwarder from an address that does not have a cPanel account. If the account already exists, delete it.

Add Forwarder

To add a mail forwarder, perform the following steps:

1. Click Add Forwarder.

2. In the Address to Forward text box, enter the address for which you wish to forward incoming email.

3. Select the desired domain from the menu.

4. Select one of the following options:

   • Forward to email address — Select this option to forward incoming email to another address. Enter the address to which you wish to forward email in the text box.

   • Discard and send an error to the sender (at SMTP time) — Select this option to discard incoming email and automatically send a failure notice to the sender. Enter the desired failure message in the Failure Message text box.

   • Click Advanced Options to view the following additional options:

     • Forward to a system account — Select this option to forward incoming email to a system user. Enter the desired username in the text box.

       Notes:

       • This text box accepts the username of any user on the server.

       • System accounts do not have a public-facing email address.

     • Pipe to a program — To automatically forward incoming email to a program, enter a path to the program, relative to the account’s home directory (for example, utilities/support.pl) in the text box. For more information, read the Pipe to a Program section below.

     • Discard (Not Recommended) — Select this option to discard incoming email without a failure notice.

       Important:We do not recommend this option, because the sender will not know that the delivery failed.

5. Click Add Forwarder.

Pipe to a Program

Important: Make certain that your script uses the proper file permissions (0700). To change your script’s file permissions, run the chmod 0700 myscript.php command, where myscript.php represents your script’s location and file name.

Use the Pipe to a Program option to parse and enter email information into a different system. For example, use the Pipe to a Program option to pipe email information to a program that enters email information into a ticket system.

• STDIN pipes email and headers to the program.

• Pipes can accept variables from the $_SERVER array and variables on the command line.

• The language or environment that you use may cause memory limit issues.

• If your script produces any output, even a blank line, the system will create a bounce message that contains that output.

When you use the Pipe to a Program option, enter a path that is relative to your home directory. For example, to use the /home/user/script.pl script, enter script.pl in the Pipe to a Program text box, where user represents your username.

Domain forwarders

Domain forwarders send copies of all of a domain’s incoming email to another domain. Domain forwarders override the default address for the forwarded domain.

The Forward All Email for a Domain table lists all of the domain forwarders for your account.

Note: Domain forwarders only forward email when the system cannot deliver it to an address or autoresponder. For example, if a user sends an email to the [e-mail] address, the following actions might take place:

• If a [e-mail] address or autoresponder exists, cPanel will not forward the email.

• If a [e-mail] address or autoresponder does not exist, cPanel will forward the email.

Add Domain Forwarder

To add a domain forwarder, perform the following steps:

1. Click Add Domain Forwarder.

2. Enter the domain to which you want to forward email.

3. Click Add Domain Forwarder.

Delete a domain forwarder

To remove a domain forwarder, click Delete next to the domain forwarder that you wish to remove, and then click Delete Domain Forwarder to confirm.