What Is Email Forwarding?
Email forwarding (or email forwarder, or alias) is a receive‑only email address that does not have its own mailbox or storage. Instead of storing messages, the alias forwards all incoming email to one or more real email addresses (called destination addresses).
Example:
[email protected] → forwards to [email protected]
What an Email Alias Is Used For
Email aliases are commonly used to:
Create public or role‑based addresses like:
info@sales@support@billing@
Protect privacy by:
Publishing one public address
Delivering mail to private personal inboxes
Provide flexibility:
Change where messages go without changing the public email address
How Email Aliases Work
Core Behavior
All emails sent to the alias are automatically forwarded.
Forwarding is one‑way only:
Alias → destination address(es)
The alias itself:
Has no mailbox
Cannot store email
Cannot be logged into
Sending Email
An alias cannot send email by itself.
Email must be sent from a real mailbox.
Sending as the alias is only possible if:
A destination provider (such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace)
Is separately configured with “Send As” or alias‑sending permissions
Destination Addresses
A destination address is where forwarded emails are delivered.
What Can Be a Destination?
Any valid email address
Hosted by any provider, including:
Microsoft 365
Google Workspace
On‑premise mail servers
Internet service providers (ISPs)
Third‑party email services
Multiple destination addresses can be used if required.
What Happens to the Email in Transit
Message Handling
The original sender’s “From” address is preserved
The envelope recipient remains the alias
The final recipient is the destination address
Filtering and Delivery
Once forwarded:
Spam filtering
Malware scanning
Rate limits
Retention rules
Mailbox quotas
…are all applied by the destination email provider, not the alias itself.
Limitations of Email Aliases
Email aliases do not have:
A mailbox
Storage
Login access
IMAP, POP, or SMTP access
They are forwarding only.
Security & Compliance Notes
Spam and malware detection occurs primarily at the destination provider
Email forwarding can be affected by sender authentication policies (SPF, DMARC)
Webnames automatically applies:
SPF
SRS (Sender Rewriting Scheme)
To improve forwarding reliability and standards compliance
Observability and Support
Webnames staff can:
Access forwarding logs for an alias
Confirm whether an email:
Was received
Was successfully forwarded
Once the message is handed off to the destination email service, it becomes subject to that provider’s:
Spam filtering
Rate limiting
Security controls
Practical Examples
[email protected]
→ Forwards to[email protected]and[email protected][email protected]
→ Forwards to[email protected](third‑party provider)
Short Definition (For Quick Reference)
At Webnames.ca, an email alias is a receive‑only forwarding address with no mailbox. It forwards incoming messages to one or more real email addresses at any provider.