Applies to: All plans.
Email forwarding takes an address at your own domain, such as hello@yourdomain.com, and passes every message sent to it on to another address you already use. Where you set it up depends on which service receives your domain's mail, that is, where the domain's MX record points.
Where to set up forwarding
| Your domain's mail is handled by | Its MX record points to | Set up forwarding in |
|---|---|---|
| The mailboxes included with your hosting plan | mx.maxinodes.com |
Email Forwarders on your hosting service page in the client area, or cPanel -> Email -> Forwarders |
| Professional Email (Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace) | Microsoft or Google | That provider's admin console (a forwarding rule or an alias) |
| Another email provider | That provider's servers | That provider's own settings |
A new hosting zone on our nameservers points the MX to mx.maxinodes.com automatically, unless the domain's mail was already with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or another outside provider; then we copy that provider's records. To check yours, open the domain's DNS records in your client area — see How to manage DNS records in your client area.
Forwarding with the mailboxes on your hosting plan
Open your hosting service in the client area (Services -> My Services) and choose Email Forwarders, or use cPanel -> Email -> Forwarders. Enter the address at your domain and the address to forward to, then save. For the full steps, see How to forward email (forwarders).
- A forwarder can work on its own or next to a mailbox with the same address. With a mailbox, you keep a copy here as well.
- Forwarding is receive-only: it passes incoming mail on, but it does not let you send as
hello@yourdomain.com. To send from the address, create a mailbox — see How to create a mailbox. - Forwarded messages leave our server through our outbound mail relay (MailChannels), like any other mail your domain sends.
If you use Professional Email
With Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, your MX records point at Microsoft or Google, and that service handles delivery for the whole domain. Forwarders in your hosting never see that mail, so create the forward (or an alias) in the provider's admin console instead.
A domain without hosting
Forwarding needs a mail service that receives your domain's mail. A domain registered with us on its own has none attached, so there is nowhere to set up a forward. Add a hosting plan (every plan includes mailboxes and email forwarders) or Professional Email, or set up forwarding with the service that receives the domain's mail.
Troubleshooting this task
- Mail does not reach the destination: Check the destination address for typos, then its spam or junk folder. A forwarded message keeps its original sender, and some providers filter forwarded mail more strictly.
-
The forwarder never catches anything: Check where your domain's MX record points. A forwarder in your hosting only sees mail when the MX is
mx.maxinodes.com; with Professional Email, set up the forward in the provider's console. - Recently changed nameservers or MX records: DNS changes can take a little while to take effect everywhere. Give it some time, then test again — see How long does DNS propagation take?.
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