How to set up email forwarding on a domain

Applies to: All plans (domains registered with Maxinodes).

Before you start: You need to be logged in to your client area at my.maxinodes.com, the domain must be registered with us, and you need the external email address you want messages to land in (for example a Gmail, Outlook or work mailbox you already use).

Domain email forwarding lets you take an address at your own domain — like hello@yourdomain.com — and quietly relay every message sent to it on to a mailbox you already have. It is the simplest way to look professional without paying for a new mailbox.

What this feature is (and is not)

This is registrar-level forwarding, set up in your client area under your domain. A few things to keep clear before you start:

• It is not a mailbox. Nothing is stored on our servers — messages are relayed straight to your external address.
• It is not cPanel email or cPanel "Forwarders". We do not host mailboxes on the hosting server, and there is no cPanel webmail to log in to.
• It is not Professional Email. If you want a full mailbox you can send from, you want Professional Email (resold Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace) instead.
• It is receive-only. Forwarding relays incoming mail; it does not let you send as hello@yourdomain.com. To send from the address, you need a real mailbox.

Set up a forward

1. Log in to your client area at my.maxinodes.com.
2. Go to Domains -> My Domains.
3. Click the domain you want to set up forwarding on to open its management page.
4. Find the domain email-forwarding section in the domain's left-hand menu or management options (look for the email-forwarding option for that domain).
5. Add a new forward. Enter the prefix you want at your domain (for example hello to create hello@yourdomain.com), then enter the full external address messages should be delivered to.
6. Save the forward.

Result: Mail sent to your chosen address at your domain now arrives in your external mailbox. You can add more forwards (for example sales@ and info@) the same way.

When forwarding will and will not catch your mail

Domain email forwarding is a function of how your domain handles incoming mail, so it depends on where your mail (MX) records point. Two things matter:

• Forwarding works when your domain's mail is handled by the forwarding service set up here — keep your domain on the Maxinodes nameservers, ns1.maxinodes.com and ns2.maxinodes.com. See How to point your domain to Maxinodes.
• If you have already set up Professional Email, your MX records point at Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, and that takes over delivery for the whole domain. In that case domain forwarding will not catch the mail — create the forward (or an alias) inside that mailbox's admin console instead.

You manage your domain's DNS records, including MX, in your client area — not in the cPanel zone editor, which does not control live DNS on our platform. See How to manage DNS records in your client area.

Troubleshooting this task

• Mail is not arriving: Check the external address for typos, then check your spam or junk folder — forwarded mail can be filtered there at first.
• You are using Professional Email on the same domain: Forwarding via your domain will not work because your MX records point at Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. Set up the forward in that provider's admin console (the option labelled Forwarding or an alias).
• Recently changed nameservers or MX records: DNS changes can take a little while to take effect everywhere. Give it some time, then test again.
• Sender sees a bounce: This usually means your domain's MX records are not handled by the forwarding service. Confirm your nameservers and MX records in How to manage DNS records in your client area.

Related articles

• How email works at Maxinodes (Microsoft 365 & Google Workspace)
• How to add Professional Email to your hosting
• The DNS records your email needs (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
• How to point your domain to Maxinodes (set your nameservers)