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Email Forwarding Not Working

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When email forwarding stops delivering mail, the most common cause is the domain’s MX records: they are missing, or they send mail to a different provider. DNSimple shows a warning on the domain’s page when that happens. Start there, then work through the other checks below.

Does the Email Forwarding page show a warning?

Open the domain and click . If the domain’s MX records stop your email forwards from receiving mail, a warning at the top of the page says that your email forwards are not working, or may not receive all mail. The message under it says why:

  • “… has no MX records, so your email forwards receive no mail.” Click in the warning to add the email forwarding records again.
  • “The MX records for … send mail to a different provider, so your email forwards receive no mail.” Another provider’s MX records replaced the forwarding ones. To keep that provider, delete the email forwards. To use email forwarding, delete the other MX records.
  • “The MX records for … also send mail to a different provider.” Some mail goes to the other provider instead of your forwards. Delete either the email forwards or the other MX records.

Email forwarding and another email provider cannot share a domain. See Manage MX Records When Changing Email Providers.

Is the domain using DNSimple DNS?

The email forwarding MX records only work if the domain is delegated to DNSimple’s name servers and its DNS zone is active. If the domain uses another DNS provider, the forwarding records in DNSimple are never seen. See Pointing a Domain to DNSimple.

Has the domain reached its monthly message limit?

Each plan includes a monthly number of forwarded messages per domain. When a domain reaches it, email sent to its forwarded addresses bounces until the limit resets. See Email Forwarding Limits and Quotas.

Other reasons email forwarding is not working

Emails not arriving at destination

Problem: Emails sent to forwarded addresses are not arriving at the destination.

Possible causes:

  • Email forwarding not enabled
  • Email forward not configured correctly
  • Destination email address incorrect
  • Destination mailbox issues
  • Resolvers still using cached MX records (propagation)

Solutions:

  1. Verify email forwarding is enabled:
    • Check that email forwarding is enabled for the domain
    • Create a test email forward if needed
  2. Check email forward configuration:
    • Verify the forwarded address is correct
    • Verify the (destination) address is correct
    • Check for typos in email addresses
  3. Test destination directly:
    • Send an email directly to the destination address
    • Verify the destination mailbox is working
  4. Check the MX records resolvers see:
    • Use dig +short yourdomain.com MX to check
    • MX records in DNSimple use a 1-hour TTL by default, so a resolver may keep returning the old MX records for up to an hour after a change. See How DNS Caching and TTL Affect DNS Changes
  5. Check spam folders:
    • Check if forwarded emails are in spam/junk folders
    • Add destination to contacts if needed

Emails going to spam

Problem: Forwarded emails are going to spam folders.

Possible causes:

  • Destination email provider filtering
  • Sender reputation issues
  • Missing email authentication
  • Content triggers

Solutions:

  1. Check spam folder:
    • Look in spam/junk folders
    • Mark as “not spam” if legitimate
  2. Add to contacts:
    • Add the forwarding service to contacts
    • This can help with future delivery
  3. Check email authentication:
    • Verify SPF, DKIM, and DMARC if applicable
    • Email forwarding services handle authentication
  4. Contact destination provider:
    • If issues persist, contact the destination email provider
    • They may have specific filtering rules

Email forwarding not working

Problem: Email forwarding service is not working at all.

Possible causes:

  • Email forwarding not enabled
  • MX records not configured
  • DNS issues
  • Service issues

Solutions:

  1. Verify email forwarding is enabled:
    • Check the tab
    • Create a test forward if needed
  2. Check MX records:
    • Verify MX records exist: dig +short yourdomain.com MX
    • Should show email forwarding MX records
  3. Check DNS:
    • Verify DNS is resolving correctly
    • Check for DNS propagation issues
  4. Contact support:

Test and verify email forwarding

Send test emails

  1. Send from external address:
    • Send test emails from an external email account
    • Send to the forwarded address
    • Check if email arrives at destination
  2. Test different addresses:
    • Test with different forwarded addresses
    • Test catch-all if configured
    • Verify all forwards work
  3. Check email headers:
    • Review email headers for forwarding information
    • Look for forwarding service indicators

Verify configuration

  1. Check email forwards:
    • Review all configured email forwards
    • Verify the forwarded address and the address are correct
    • Check for any disabled forwards
  2. Check MX records:
    • Verify MX records are correct
    • Ensure they point to email forwarding service
  3. Test DNS:
    • Use dig to verify DNS records
    • Check DNS propagation

Common solutions

Fix typos in email addresses

  • Check the forwarded address for typos
  • Check the (destination) address for typos
  • Verify email address format

Update destination addresses

  • Update email forwards with correct destinations
  • Test after updating
  • Verify delivery works

Remove and recreate forwards

  • Delete problematic email forwards
  • Recreate with correct information
  • Test after recreation

Best practices

  • Test email forwarding after setup
  • Verify destination addresses are correct
  • Monitor for delivery issues
  • Check spam folders regularly
  • Keep email forwards updated

Have more questions?

If you have additional questions or need any assistance with troubleshooting email forwarding delivery issues, contact support, and we will be happy to help. You can also read more about email forwarding at DNSimple.