How to forward an email easily

To forward an email, open the message in your inbox, select Forward, enter the recipient’s email address, and click Send. Email forwarding lets you share messages and attachments with other recipients or automatically redirect incoming emails to another mailbox.

There are two ways to forward emails: manually, by sending individual messages, or automatically, by setting up forwarding rules. You can use both methods in Gmail and Outlook, while Hostinger Email lets you configure automatic forwarding through the Hostinger dashboard.

Here’s how to forward an email using three popular email platforms:

1. Gmail: Open an email and select Forward, or enable automatic forwarding in Gmail settings.
2. Outlook: Select Forward to send an individual message, or create an inbox rule to redirect incoming emails automatically.
3. Hostinger Email: Open the Hostinger dashboard, navigate to Forwarders, and create a forwarder to redirect incoming messages to another email address.

Email forwarding is useful for sharing information with colleagues, transferring attachments, and receiving messages from an old email address in a new inbox. Before forwarding, check the recipients and remove any sensitive information they shouldn’t receive.

Which email forwarding method should you use?

You can forward emails manually or automatically, depending on whether you want to share a specific message or redirect future emails to another inbox.

• Manual forwarding: Send an individual email to another recipient. This works best for sharing messages, attachments, or conversations.
• Automatic forwarding: Redirect new incoming emails to another email address without forwarding each message yourself. This is useful when managing multiple inboxes or switching email accounts.
• Filter-based forwarding: Automatically forward only emails that meet specific conditions, such as messages from a particular sender.

The setup process depends on your email provider:

If you’re using a smartphone, you can manually forward messages through the Gmail or Outlook app. For Gmail’s automatic forwarding setup, use the desktop web interface.

How to forward an email using Gmail

Gmail provides two methods of forwarding an email message – manual and automatic forwarding. This section will explain both approaches.

If you have a business email address, you can also use Gmail with a custom domain through Google Workspace or access Hostinger Business Email in the Gmail mobile app.

How to forward an individual email in Gmail

1. Log into your Gmail account, navigate to the menu bar, and click Inbox.
2. Find and open the email message you want to forward to someone.
3. Click the Forward button.

4. Enter the email address of the recipient in the To field. If you want to add more than one address, separate them with commas.

5. You can also add Cc (carbon copy) and Bcc (blind carbon copy) recipients by clicking the respective button.

Both To and Cc recipients can see the list of email addresses attached to the email you forward. Meanwhile, the list is not visible to Bcc recipients.

6. If you need to write a message above the forwarded email, do so above the Forwarded message text in the body of the email.

7. If the message you want to forward contains an attachment and you wish to remove it, simply click the x button next to the attachment. Conversely, if you want to add a new attachment, click on the Attach files symbol, as shown below.

8. Once you’ve finished editing the message, click the Send button.

How to set up automatic forwarding in Gmail

The following steps will show you how to set up your Gmail account to automatically forward multiple emails to another email address. However, keep in mind that this method only works on a computer.

1. Open your Gmail inbox and select the Settings gear icon on the page’s top right corner.

2. Select See all settings.

3. Navigate to the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab. From there, click Add Forwarding Address.

4. Enter the forwarding email address and click Next.

5. A new window will pop up. Make sure that the forwarding address is correct and click Proceed.

6. Gmail will send a verification email to your inbox. Simply click on the verification link or insert the code as requested.
7. Return to Gmail settings and refresh the page. Open the Forwarding and POP/IMAP or Forwarding tab.
8. Under Forwarding, select Forward a copy of incoming mail to and choose the verified email address.
9. Choose what Gmail should do with the original messages. Select Keep Gmail’s copy in the Inbox if you want to retain them.
10. Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

Now, Gmail will automatically forward all your new email messages to the address you have provided. If you want to stop the forwarding, click Disable forwarding.

How to forward specific Gmail messages using filters

Another option is to forward mail messages by using filters. In addition to setting the criteria for a specific message you want to forward, Gmail filters help block unwanted emails in your inbox.

While the previous method can only forward messages to one specific address, you can send emails to multiple addresses using this method. Follow these steps to start:

1. Click Settings -> See all settings. Then, choose Filters and Blocked Addresses.
2. Select Create a new filter.

3. Fill the fields with the criteria for the emails you want to forward and select Create filter.

4. The emails that fit the criteria you entered will appear. Next to the search bar, click the dropdown icon to show more options.
5. Tick Forward it to and choose your desired email address or Add forwarding address.

6. Select Create filter to finalize the setting. Repeat the same process to enter multiple addresses you want to forward to. Note that the filter will only apply to new incoming emails.

How to forward an email using Outlook

Outlook also provides manual and automated email forwarding. If you’re using Outlook for the first time, you’ll need to set up your email account in Outlook before you can forward messages.

How to forward an email manually

1. Log into your Outlook account on the web app and go to your inbox folder.
2. Find and open the message you wish to forward.
3. The reading pane will appear with the content of the email. Continue by selecting the Forward button.

4. Enter the email address of the recipient at the top. Use commas to separate multiple addresses in the To, Cc, or Bcc sections. To give more context or clarity, add a message on top of the original email content.

5. When you’re done, click the Send button.

How to set up automatic forwarding in Outlook

You can automatically forward incoming Outlook emails to another address using the forwarding settings. For messages that meet specific conditions, such as emails from one sender, use inbox rules instead.

1. Open Outlook on the web and click the Settings gear icon.
2. Navigate to Mail → Forwarding. In Outlook.com, this option may appear under Mail → Forwarding and IMAP.
3. Enable forwarding and enter the destination email address.
4. Select Keep a copy of forwarded messages if you want to retain the original emails.
5. Click Save to activate automatic forwarding.

To forward only selected messages, navigate to Settings → Mail → Rules and create a rule with your preferred conditions and the Forward to action.

How to forward an email using Hostinger dashboard

If you have a Hostinger email account, take advantage of the built-in Email Forwarders feature in Hostinger dashboard to automatically forward emails.

Here’s how:

1. Navigate to the Emails section of Hostinger dashboard and click on Mailboxes next to the domain or subdomain of the plan you want to manage

2. Next, click on your domain name. The system will open your Email Account dashboard. From there, click the Forwarders menu and choose Create a forwarder.

3. A window will appear to let you choose a mailbox and redirect emails to a forwarding address. Proceed by filling in the fields accordingly.

4. Click Create to save changes. A list of active email forwarders will appear under the Manage Your Forwarders section.

You can also edit or delete existing forwarders from the Forwarders section. For additional setup options and restrictions, refer to Hostinger’s email forwarding instructions.

How to forward an email on mobile

You can manually forward individual emails using the Gmail or Outlook mobile app on Android and iOS. Automatic forwarding generally needs to be configured through the provider’s web settings.

Forward an email in the Gmail app

1. Open the Gmail app and select the email you want to forward.
2. Tap Forward below the message, or open the message’s three-dot menu and select Forward.
3. Enter the recipient’s email address.
4. Add a message if needed, then tap Send.

Forward an email in the Outlook app

1. Open the Outlook app and select the email you want to forward.
2. Tap the message’s reply or more-options control, then select Forward.
3. Enter the recipient’s email address and add an optional message.
4. Tap Send.

Email forwarding tips

Now that you’ve learned how to forward emails using three different platforms, you might wonder if there’s a set of rules you have to follow. While there are no official guidelines, here are some general tips to help you along:

• Make sure that forwarding the email is the right move. Before you forward a mail message, make sure that including the original content in its entirety will be seen as appropriate and valuable.
• Add a comment. A forwarded mail with no additional message can be confusing. Always include a message to the recipient explaining why they’re receiving this email and what the person should do with the information.
• Delete unnecessary and sensitive information. Be careful when forwarding a long email thread. It might contain many topics that aren’t relevant or include sensitive data that the recipient shouldn’t see.
• Take advantage of Bcc. Blind carbon copy recipients won’t be able to view other email addresses apart from their own. This feature makes the email cleaner and protects the privacy of everyone involved in the thread.
• Fix the subject line. You might notice that your email client will add abbreviations like “Fw” or “Fwd” into the subject lines of forwarded emails. As the sender, you have the option to delete them or change the subject entirely to make it look more professional. You can even try using a subject line generator that will do all the work for you.

What to do after setting up email forwarding

Email forwarding helps you manage messages across multiple accounts without switching between inboxes. Whether you use Gmail, Outlook, or Hostinger Email, choose manual forwarding for individual messages or automatic forwarding to redirect incoming emails.

After setting up automatic forwarding, send a test email to confirm that messages reach the correct inbox. If they don’t arrive, check the forwarding address, verification status, and spam folder.

If you’re switching to a new email account, consider keeping copies of forwarded messages in your original inbox until you’ve updated your contacts and confirmed that everything works.

This article is a localized version of How to forward an email easily, originally published in English.

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The author

Hasna A.

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Hasna is passionate about tech, culture, and the written word. She hopes to create content that helps people succeed on the web. When not writing, rearranging, or polishing sentences, she enjoys live music and overanalyzing movies.

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