Managing your email doesn't mean you have to be glued to your inbox 24/7. Two very helpful tools—Email Forwarders and Autoresponders (often called "Out of Office" messages)—can handle communication for you when you are busy or away.
This guide explains how to set these up using common platforms and shares some best practices to keep your communication professional and secure.
Email forwarding is like a digital mail redirection service. It automatically sends a copy of an email delivered to one address (like [email protected]) to another address (like [email protected]). This allows you to check multiple email accounts from a single inbox without having to log in to each one separately.
How to Set Up a Forwarder in cPanel If your hosting uses cPanel, the process is very straightforward:
1. Log in to your cPanel dashboard and look for the Mail section.
2. Click on the Forwarders link.
3. Click Add Forwarder.
4. Enter the first part of the email address you want to forward (e.g., "info").
5. Enter the destination email address where you want the mail to go.
6. Click the Add Forwarder button to finish.
How to Set Up Forwarding in Microsoft 365 If you use Microsoft 365, an administrator can set this up for you:
1. Go to the Admin Center and select Users > Active users.
2. Select the user's name and choose the Mail tab.
3. Select Manage email forwarding.
4. Select Forward all emails sent to this mailbox, enter the forwarding address, and choose whether to keep a copy in the original mailbox.
Automatic forwarding can sometimes cause security issues. Forwarding emails to external accounts (like a personal Gmail) may bypass security protections and can result in your business data being mishandled or your emails being flagged as spam. Some organizations even block this feature to protect data.
While email forwarding is convenient, forwarding messages to personal or external email accounts can introduce security risks. It may bypass company security controls and increase the risk of sensitive data being exposed or emails being flagged as spam.
Whenever possible, access your business email using secure webmail, official email apps, or shared mailboxes instead of forwarding messages externally.
An autoresponder (or "Out of Office" reply) is an automatic message sent to anyone who emails you while you are away. This is essential etiquette for vacations, sick leave, or business trips, as it lets people know you aren't ignoring them.
How to Set Up an Autoresponder in cPanel
1. Click on the Autoresponders link in the Mail area of cPanel.
2. Click Add Autoresponder.
3. Enter your email address and your name in the "From" field.
4. Write a Subject line (e.g., "Out of Office").
5. Type your message in the Body field.
6. Click Create to activate it.
How to Set Up Automatic Replies in Outlook
1. Open Outlook and click on the File tab.
2. Select Automatic Replies (Out of Office).
3. Check the box for Send automatic replies.
4. You can set a specific start and end time so the message turns off automatically when you return.
5. Type your message and click OK or Save.
If you use Google Workspace aliases (secondary email names), the standard "Out of Office" setting might not work for them. You may need to create a "template" and use a filter to send automated replies for those specific addresses.
Your message doesn't need to be long. It just needs to be helpful. A good autoresponder includes:
• The dates you will be gone.
• The reason for your absence (optional, like "vacation" or "conference").
• When you will return and be able to respond.
• Who to contact in case of an emergency.
Setting up Forwarders helps you consolidate your mail into one place, while Autoresponders keep your clients informed when you are unavailable.
Remember to turn off your autoresponder or delete the rule when you return to work.
Access your business email using secure webmail, official email apps, or shared mailboxes instead of forwarding messages externally.
Reliable email supports reliable relationships.