How to set up email forwarding on my domain

Email forwarding passes messages sent to one address straight on to another. It's how a sole trader can put hello@theirbusiness.co.uk on a business card and still read everything in the Gmail inbox they already use. It takes five minutes to set up. Getting replies and spam filtering right takes a little more thought.

Which kind of forwarding do I need?

Our view: a forwarder is fine to start with. Once you have staff or send a lot of email, a proper mailbox is easier to manage, and setting up a professional email address covers that route.

How do I set up a forwarder?

1. Check where your MX records point. Forwarding only works at the provider that receives your domain's email, so set up the forwarder there.
2. In that provider's control panel, look for a section called Forwarders, Aliases or Email routing.
3. Enter the address on your domain, such as hello@yourbusiness.co.uk.
4. Enter the destination, such as your personal Gmail address. Some providers send a confirmation email to the destination first.
5. Save, then send a test from a different email account. Check the destination's spam folder too.

How do I reply from my domain address?

Forwarding only handles incoming mail. If you reply from Gmail as normal, the reply comes from your gmail.com address. To fix that:

1. In Gmail on a computer, open Settings, then See all settings, then Accounts and import.
2. Under Send mail as, choose Add another email address and enter your domain address.
3. Enter your email provider's SMTP server, username and password when asked, so the mail is sent through your provider and passes SPF.
4. Confirm the address using the code Gmail sends.

This needs an outgoing mail account at your provider, so check one comes with your forwarder.

Why do forwarded emails end up in spam?

Forwarding breaks SPF. When a message is forwarded, it arrives from your forwarding server, not the original sender's, so the sender's SPF record doesn't match. Google says forwarded messages often fail SPF, which is why it stresses DKIM: a DKIM signature survives forwarding as long as the message isn't changed on the way.

Google also recommends that forwarding services rewrite the envelope sender to their own domain, a technique often called SRS. Ask your provider whether it does this. It also suggests filtering out spam before forwarding, because forwarded junk that recipients report can drag down the forwarding domain's reputation.

What about Gmail fetching mail by POP?

Gmail's Check mail from other accounts feature, which pulled mail in over POP, is being retired. As of October 2026 it isn't available to new users, and existing users lose it in January 2027. Google's suggested replacement is exactly what this guide covers: forwarding from your provider. More on the difference between the protocols is in IMAP vs POP3.