How to forward mail: top 10 services
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Mail forwarding is a convenient and efficient way to manage email correspondence. It allows you to forward information to other people, delegate tasks, and back up email to another mailbox.
Mail forwarding methods
Let's explore the main methods of how to forward mail and their benefits.
Manual forwarding. This is the easiest method available to all users of email services. To forward an email via webmail or mobile app, open the email, select the Forward option and enter the recipient's address. The advantages of this method are its convenience and accessibility
Setting up automatic forwarding with filters in an email client. Many email services allow you to create filters for automatic email forwarding based on specific filters or rules. For example, you can set up a filter to forward all emails from a particular sender or containing certain keywords in the subject line. This allows you to automatically forward email to another email. The benefits of this method are automation and flexible settings
Using aliases in email service. An alias is an alternate name for sending emails instead of the main email address. For example, if your primary address is example@example.com, you can create an alias info@example.com, that will redirect all emails to your primary address. This method is useful for those who want to hide their main address from outsiders or who want to use different addresses without the need to create separate mailboxes
10 most popular services for email forwarding
Forwarding an email is a useful feature that allows you to send received messages to other email addresses. In this article, we will explore ten of the best online services for email forwarding, their advantages and disadvantages, and also discuss how to forward an email in popular email clients.
Most popular services
IronVest
IronVest is an email forwarding service. It allows users to receive mail at different addresses and then forward it to the desired address. Among other things, IronVest offers several security features that can increase user anonymity online.
Pros:
- Privacy-focused service, protects data by masking email addresses and credit card numbers
- Free version available
- Auto-fill feature included
Cons:
- High cost, plans prices reach up to 15$ per month
- IronVest is only compatible with Chrome, Firefox, iOS, and Android
- IronVest is a relatively new product with a limited usage history
- Slow performance
BitWarden
BitWarden is an open source password management service and vault that includes email forwarding feature. It allows you to create temporary email addresses that can be used for registration on websites, applications and services that require an email address for confirmation.
Pros:
- Secure vault for storing passwords and other sensitive data
- Service integrates with various applications and browser plug-ins
Cons:
- The email forwarding feature in BitWarden is limited compared to specialized email forwarding services
- The interface is not the most convenient for handling large volumes of email
Forward Email
Forward Email is a reliable email forwarding service with a free plan that allows you to use an unlimited number of custom domains, aliases, and disposable email addresses.
Pros:
- Does not store any information
- Can create multiple email addresses
- Offers a free plan
Cons:
- Vulnerable to hacking as DNS records are publicly available
- No other additional features other than forwarding an email
ImprovMX
ImprovMX is an email forwarding service with a free plan that allows you to create email aliases and redirect emails to your primary mailbox. It has a simple interface that makes it easy to use. No registration is required.
Pros:
- Free to use for light forwarding needs
- 24/7 online support for paid plans
- Very fast message delivery
Cons:
- Limited number of addresses in free version
- Emails often end up in spam folders
- Significant price difference for package plans
DuoCircle
DuoCircle is a business-priented email forwarding service that offers some excellent features. You can forward emails to 10 different accounts.
Pros:
- Unlimited number of aliases for your accounts
- Protection from phishing, spam, and malware
- No need for a mail server
- 24/7 email, chat and phone support
Cons:
- Payment for two years is 180$
Mailgun
Mailgun is an email forwarding service for businesses only that allows you to track the delivery and reading of your emails. You can find out if your emails were delivered, if they were read and how many times they were opened.
Pros:
- You can send more than 2 500 000 emails
- Online support to assist with setup
- Use of an API that is useful for developers
Cons:
- Not the best spam checking
- Complex interface
Google Workspace
Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) is a cloud service provided by Google that includes a set of tools for email and data storage. One of the features of Google Workspace is the ability to forward email messages.
Pros:
- Simple interface to set up email forwarding
Cons:
- Low level of security, especially with the free version of the service
- Limited customization options for email forwarding
- Limited data storage — 30 GB for 5,4$ per month
Mailfence
Mailfence is an online privacy-focused service for email that offers secure and private message forwarding, file storage, a calendar, and more.
Pros:
- Simple and intuitive interface
- Free version
- Encryption
- Zero-logging policy
- Two-factor authentication option
Cons:
- Limited storage space in the free version: 500 MB for emails and 500 MB for documents
Pobox
Pobox is a premium email forwarding service. It allows you to create custom email filters and spam filters.
Pros:
- Good spam protection
- The Mailstore plan includes 50 GB of storage for $50 per year
Cons:
- Messages can only be forwarded to up to 5 addresses at a time
EmailForward.MX
EmailForward.MX is easy to use and set up, and it's affordable. There are no restrictions on the number of aliases or attachments you can use, and all file types are allowed.
Pros:
- No restrictions on file types, addresses, and attachments
- Option to set up two-factor authentication
- 30-day money back guarantee if you're not satisfied with the service
Cons:
- Messages may get lost or end up in spam
How to forward mail in the most popular email clients
There are many email services available today, each with its own instructions for setting up forwarding. In this section, we'll explore how to set up email forwarding for five popular email services: Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, Thunderbird, and Apple Mail.
Gmail
Forwarding individual emails in Gmail is quick and easy, but it's not efficient when you need to forward a large number of emails. Optimizing this process can significantly increase your productivity and reduce the time you spend on this monotonous task. Multi Email Forward, a Chrome extension by CloudHQ, allows you to forward as many emails as you want with just one click.
Multi Email Forward is specifically designed to work directly with Gmail without requiring any additional applications or software. You can install Multi Email Forward from the Chrome Web Store.
How to forward mail using Multi Email Forward
To forward multiple emails in Gmail using Multi Email Forward, follow these steps:
- Select the emails you want to forward
- Click the Forward icon and select the desired format for the forwarded emails (original, plain text, or HTML)
- Enter the email address
- Click Forward
When forwarding multiple emails, you can choose whether to send them as a single email or separately. Additionally, emails also can be sent as a single PDF attachment.
To set up automatic email forwarding, follow these steps:
- Open your web browser and go to Gmail
- At the top right of the Gmail page, click on the gear icon
- Click on See all settings
- In the Settings page, go to the Forwarding and POP/IMAP section
- Under Forwarding, click on Add a forwarding address
- Type in an email address that you’ll use as a forwarding address
- When the pop-up browser window opens, confirm the email address you typed and click on Proceed
- Once you’re back on Gmail’s page, you’ll get a notification that the email address you typed in will receive a code. Click on OK
- Go to the inbox of your forwarding email address and look for an email from Google with the subject (#xxxxxxxxx) Gmail Forwarding Confirmation – Receive Mail from xxxxx@gmail.com. Copy the code in the email
- Go back to your main Gmail account where the email will come from and in the Forwarding and POP/IMAP section paste the verification code from the email you opened before, and click Verify
- At the bottom left of the Settings page, you’ll get a notification saying you’ve verified the forwarding address
- Go back to the Forwarding and POP/IMAP section and click on the button for Forward a copy of incoming mail to, select a forwarding address, and select if you want to keep, mark as read, archive, or delete forwarded emails
- After setting up your forwarding settings, click on Save changes at the bottom of the Settings page
- When automatic forwarding is enabled, you’ll see a banner in your Gmail account saying you’re forwarding email to a certain email address. This will appear for 7 days
Outlook
Outlook allows users to forward emails manually or automatically.
For manual email forwarding, follow these steps:
- In the Outlook Web App, open the email, click the ... icon at the top, select Forward, enter the recipient's email address, and click Send
- In the desktop Outlook application, open the email you want to forward, click Forward on the toolbar, enter the recipient's email address in the To field, and click Send
To set up automatic email forwarding, follow these steps:
- Log in to your account
- Open Settings (icon on the toolbar)
- Click View all Outlook settings at the bottom of the Settings pane
- Select Mail → Forwarding in the Settings dialog box
- Select the Enable forwarding check box
- Enter the email address where you want forwarded messages to be sent
- Select the Keep a copy of forwarded messages if you want to keep them in your Outlook account
- Click Save
Yahoo
Yahoo offers options to forward individual messages. You can also set up Yahoo Mail forwarding to automatically send all messages to another mailbox.
To forward individual messages in Yahoo Mail, follow these steps:
- Open your mailbox
- Open the message you want to forward
- Click Forward (right-pointing arrow). You can find the arrow above the subject line of the email or below the body of the message
- Enter the address you want to forward the message to and click Send
Automatic forwarding in Yahoo is only available to Yahoo Mail Plus subscribers or those enrolled in Access + Forwarding, both of which are paid options.
If you have a Yahoo Mail Plus subscription or are enrolled in Access + Forwarding, you can set up automatic Yahoo Mail forwarding by following these steps:
- Open your mailbox
- Click Settings (gear icon) in the top right corner
- Scroll down and select More Settings
- Click Mailboxes on the left side of the page
- In the list of mailboxes, select the address you want to set up forwarding for
- Scroll down to the Forwarding section on the right
- Enter the forwarding email and click Verify
Now, all new messages sent to your Yahoo address will be forwarded to the email address you specified.
Thunderbird
To set up automatic email forwarding in Thunderbird, follow these steps:
- Open Thunderbird and go to the Settings section (three-line icon)
- Select Message Filters or Message Filters from the top menu, depending on your Thunderbird version
- Click Create a new rule or Create a new filter
- Select the conditions under which you want messages to be forwarded. For example, you can select a specific sender or keywords in the email subject
- Click Forward message
- Enter the email address to which you want to forward messages
- Click the Save or Apply button to save the settings
Apple Mail
In Apple Mail, you cannot directly set up email forwarding. However, you can set up forwarding for your iCloud account through iCloud.com. Follow these steps:
- Go to the iCloud.com website and log in to your profile
- Open the Mail section
- In the top right corner, click on the gear icon Settings
- In the settings window that opens, select the View tab, then go to the Rules section
- Click on the Add a Rule button to create a new forwarding rule
- Select Forward and in the To field, enter the email address to which you want to forward incoming messages
- Set additional filters if necessary and click Done
Now, all incoming messages in your iCloud mailbox will be automatically forwarded to the email address you specified.
FAQ
What is email forwarding?
Email forwarding is the process of redirecting electronic messages from one email address to another. It makes it easier to organize your workflow and manage multiple mailboxes.
Why is email forwarding useful?
Email forwarding can be useful if you have multiple email accounts or need to forward important messages to another address.
What kind of limits can be in email forwarding?
Some email services may block message forwarding to prevent the distribution of spam. In addition, some services have limits on the number of forwarded emails or the maximum size of a message.
What should I consider when choosing an email forwarding service?
When choosing an email forwarding service, you should consider:
- The interface, which should be simple and intuitive
- The availability of additional features (filters, autoresponders, spam blocking)
- The number of addresses that can be added for forwarding an email
- The cost of the service
- Possible limits on the number of emails forwarded per month
- The storage capacity of the mailbox
What are the most popular online services for email forwarding?
Here are 10 popular online services for forwarding an email:
- IronVest
- BitWarden
- Forward Email
- ImprovMX
- DuoCircle
- Mailgun
- Google Workspace
- Mailfence
- Pobox
- EmailForward.MX
Final thoughts
Whether you use email forwarding for personal or business purposes, this tool gives you flexibility and control over how you receive your messages. Properly configured, email forwarding can make your life easier by allowing you to focus on what really matters without missing important messages.
However, it's important to remember security and confidentiality measures when setting up forwarding. Make sure you use reliable services and secure connections to keep your information safe.
