Hostinger Mail forwarding: limitations and alternatives

Email forwarders automatically redirect incoming messages from one Hostinger email address to another. While they work reliably in most cases, specific security protocols can prevent forwarded emails from arriving at their final destination. This article explains the technical limitations of forwarding and provides more reliable alternatives to ensure you receive your messages.

How email security affects email forwarding

When Hostinger forwards an email, it relays the message while preserving the original sender’s From: domain. Many organizations, such as banks, financial services and major email providers, enforce a strict security policy called DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance).

If a sender uses a p=reject policy, the receiving server blocks any email where the From: domain does not match the actual sending server. Because the forwarded message comes from Hostinger’s servers instead of the original sender’s server, it fails this security check and is blocked at the destination. This is an industry-wide limitation and not specific to Hostinger.

Here’s what happens:

1. The original sender sends an email to your Hostinger Mail address.
2. Hostinger forwards it to your destination address.
3. The destination server checks whether the email is legitimate — but the From: domain (e.g., paypal.com) no longer matches the server that sent it (Hostinger).
4. Because the original sender’s DMARC policy says to reject any email that fails this check, the destination server blocks it.

Scenarios where forwarding often fails

You may encounter delivery issues when forwarding the following types of communication:

• Emails from banks, payment processors (like PayPal or Stripe), or government services.
• Transactional or marketing emails sent via platforms like Mailchimp or SendGrid.
• Messages forwarded to helpdesk tools like Zendesk or Freshdesk, which have their own strict filtering.
• Any sender with a high-security p=reject or p=quarantine DMARC policy.

Alternatives to email forwarding

1. Use IMAP access
   The most reliable method is to connect your destination mailbox directly to your Hostinger Email account using IMAP. This pulls emails directly from the server, bypassing the forwarding chain and avoiding DMARC conflicts.
   • Guide: Set up Hostinger Mail on your apps and devices.
2. Configure email aliases
   If you want to manage multiple addresses within the same domain from one inbox, use an email alias from the Email section. These are more stable than forwarders because the mail remains within the same internal system.
   • Related article: How to set up an email alias with Hostinger Email.
3. Set up a Webmail filter
   In Hostinger Webmail, you can create a filter to “Send copy to” another address. This uses a different sending path than a standard forwarder and can sometimes bypass blocks affecting traditional forwarding.
   • Detailed steps: How to set up email filters for Hostinger Mail.
4. Use direct MX routing
   If you want all emails for your domain to be handled by a third-party provider, point your MX records directly to that service. MX records for Hostinger Email.
   • Refer to this guide: MX Records for Hostinger Email.

Hostinger email filter and forwarding limits

The number of filters and forwarders you can create depends on your specific hosting plan. Note that filters created in Webmail are counted separately from those set up in hPanel.

The following limits apply to email filters:

• Free Business Email (legacy): 3 filters.
• Business Starter: 10 filters.
• Business Premium: Unlimited filters.

In addition to filters, forwarders created directly within the Webmail interface are capped at 4 across all plans. If you have reached the filter limit for your current plan, you can upgrade to Business Premium to add more. For more detailed information, you can refer to the guide on parameters and limits of Hostinger Email.

NOTE

• If a correctly configured email forwarder stops working and alternatives do not resolve the issue, contact us via Hostinger Agent. To help with the investigation, have the original sender’s domain, the destination address, any error or bounce messages, and the original email as an .eml file ready.