Mail Forwards

The Mail Forwards feature enables you to receive emails sent to your custom domain email address (e.g., yourmail@yourdomain.com) directly in your personal or business mailbox. This guide will walk you through setting up Mail Forwards, understanding the two types of mail forwarding servers, and choosing the one that suits your needs best. 

How to set up Mail Forwards

To configure Mail Forwards, you’ll need to follow these simple steps: 

1. Set up MX Records: First, you need to log into your ClouDNS account. Then you need to ensure your DNS Zone has MX records pointing to the correct Mail Forwards servers. These MX records can be found in the Control Panel.
2. Add a new forward: Once the MX records are configured, head to the DNS Zone Control Panel and click on the Mail Forwards button, which is located between the "Cloud Domains" and "DNS Statistics" buttons. Click on Add New Forward to begin the configuration.
3. Configure the forwarding settings: In the setup form, you’ll need to fill in two key fields:
   - Mailbox: Enter the email address where the forwarded emails will be sent (e.g., yourmail@yourdomain.com or yourmail@mail.yourdomain.com).
   - Forward To: Enter the email address where you wish to receive the emails (e.g., yourmail@gmail.com or yourmail@yahoo.com).

Once this is done, your Mail Forward will be active.

How to setup Mail Forwards - Step by Step video:

Choosing between two types of Mail forwarding servers

At ClouDNS, you can choose between two types of Mail Forwarding servers, each offering different features. It's essential to choose the right one based on your email needs.

1. Mail Forward Servers with Suffix 1 and 2

• Examples: mailforward21.cloudns.net and mailforward22.cloudns.net
• Best for: Users who rely on public mail services such as Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook.
• Why choose this group: These servers are specifically designed to integrate well with public email services, ensuring that your emails pass SPF checks, spam filtration, and blacklist filtration. This setup minimizes the risk of forwarded emails ending up in the spam/junk folder.

2. Mail Forward Servers with Suffix 3 and 4

• Examples: mailforward23.cloudns.net and mailforward24.cloudns.net
• Best for: Users who run their own mail server and can manage their SPF settings and spam filtering.
• Why choose this group: If you manage your own mail server and want to preserve the original "FROM" section of the email header, these servers offer that feature. There is no alteration to the header, meaning the original sender's email address remains intact.

How forwarded emails appear?

The way forwarded emails are displayed in your inbox depends on the type of Mail Forwarding server you select.

With Servers Suffix 1 and 2:
When using these servers, the FROM section of the email header will be modified. For example, if an email is sent from example@domain.com, the header will appear as:

Your Name - Your Name at domain.com <mailforwards@cloudmails.net>

With Servers Suffix 3 and 4:
If you choose this option, the email’s FROM section will remain unchanged. The original sender’s email address will be shown as:

Your Name <example@domain.com>

This can be an important consideration if you want to maintain the authenticity of the sender’s email address in your communications.

Tips

•  If you're using public email services like Gmail, we strongly recommend using the servers with suffix 1 and 2. They are optimized to pass SPF checks and avoid being marked as spam, which ensures that forwarded emails reach your inbox.
• If you're operating your own mail server, the servers with suffix 3 and 4 might be a better choice, especially if you manage your own spam filtering and SPF settings.
• Make sure your MX records and Mail Forward settings are properly configured. Incorrect settings can cause issues like delayed forwarding or emails not being received at all.