How to set up a catch-all email address

What is a catch-all address?

A catch-all receives messages sent to addresses that do not exist at your domain.

For example, if sales@example.co.za does not exist, a catch-all can forward that message to another mailbox.

It does not replace normal mailboxes or aliases.

Why a catch-all is usually a bad idea

Spammers frequently send messages to invented addresses. A catch-all accepts those messages instead of rejecting them.

This can cause:

• More spam
• Faster mailbox growth
• Higher filtering load
• Confusing recipient addresses
• Forwarding and deliverability problems
• Important messages becoming difficult to identify

Creating the individual mailboxes or forwarders you actually need is safer.

Set up a catch-all in cPanel

1. Sign in to cPanel.
2. Open Email.
3. Select Default Address.
4. Choose the domain.
5. Select the option to forward unmatched messages.
6. Enter the destination email address.
7. Save the change.

Set up a catch-all in DirectAdmin

1. Sign in to DirectAdmin.
2. Open Advanced Features.
3. Select Catch-All E-mail.
4. Choose the affected domain.
5. Select the option to send unmatched mail to an address.
6. Enter the destination address.
7. Save the setting.

Test the catch-all

1. Send a message from an external address.
2. Address it to a random, nonexistent name at your domain.
3. Confirm that it reaches the catch-all destination.
4. Check the spam folder if it does not appear.

Disable the catch-all

The recommended default is to reject email sent to nonexistent recipients.

• In cPanel, return to Default Address and select the option to discard the message with an error to the sender.
• In DirectAdmin, return to Catch-All E-mail and select the failure or rejection option.

Rejecting during delivery is better than silently accepting and deleting messages.

Better alternatives

Instead of a catch-all, create:

• A mailbox for each person
• A role address such as sales@ or accounts@
• A forwarder for common misspellings
• An alias for an old address
• A contact form protected against spam

See How to set up email forwarders and autoresponders.