How to Set Up Automatic Email Forwarding in Gmail

Overview

Gmail's automatic forwarding feature allows you to send incoming emails to another email address automatically. You can choose to forward all messages or use filters to forward only specific types of emails. When forwarding is enabled, Gmail will forward all new messages except spam. You also have the option to keep copies of forwarded emails in your Gmail inbox or automatically archive them.

Instructions

To Turn On Forwarding

  1. Open Gmail Settings by clicking the gear icon in the top right, then select "See all settings"
  2. Navigate to the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab
  3. In the "Forwarding" section, click "Add a forwarding address"
  4. Enter the email address you want to forward messages to and click "Next" or "Proceed"
  5. A verification message will be sent to the forwarding email address. Open that email and click the verification link
  6. Return to Gmail Settings and refresh your browser
  7. Select "Forward a copy of incoming mail to" and choose the verified address
  8. Choose what happens to your Gmail copies (it's recommended to select "Keep Gmail's copy in the Inbox")
  9. Click "Save Changes" at the bottom of the page

To Turn Off Forwarding

  1. Open Gmail Settings and go to "See all settings"
  2. Click the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab
  3. In the "Forwarding" section, click "Disable forwarding"
  4. Click "Save Changes" at the bottom of the page

To Forward Only Specific Messages (Optional)

  1. Open Gmail and click "Show search options" in the search box at the top
  2. Enter your search criteria to identify which messages you want to forward
  3. Click "Search" to verify your criteria works correctly
  4. Click "Create filter" at the bottom of the search window
  5. Select "Forward it" from the filter options
  6. Choose the forwarding email address
  7. Click "Create filter" to save

To forward messages to multiple accounts, create a separate filter for each forwarding email address.

Note

Security Warning: Gmail will display a forwarding notice in your inbox for the first week after enabling forwarding. This serves as a reminder that forwarding is active. If you ever see a forwarding notice that you didn't set up yourself, this may indicate unauthorized access to your account. In this case, change your password immediately and disable forwarding from your Settings page.

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