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Cloudflare Email Routing can forward incoming mail sent to your custom domain to an existing, verified inbox. It is free forwarding, not a hosted mailbox: if you need an inbox on your domain or full send-and-receive service, you will need to assess a separate email provider. Your domain must use Cloudflare DNS.
Before you start: forwarding or a hosted mailbox?
Email Routing handles incoming messages addressed to your domain and forwards them to a destination address you already use. It does not provide a mailbox hosted on your domain or, by itself, a complete service for sending and receiving domain email. Cloudflare describes the service as free forwarding for users who only need to receive email.
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For example, you can route mail sent to [email protected] to an existing inbox. The destination must be verified in Cloudflare before it can be used in a rule. Forwarding does not guarantee that every destination provider will accept every forwarded message.
What you need before setup
- A domain in your Cloudflare account, configured to use Cloudflare DNS. Cloudflare requires Cloudflare DNS for Email Service.
- Access to the existing inbox you want to receive forwarded messages, so you can open Cloudflare’s verification email.
- A clear understanding of your domain’s current email setup. MX records control where inbound mail is delivered, so changing them can affect an existing mailbox provider.
Set up Cloudflare Email Routing
- Open Email Routing. In the Cloudflare dashboard, go to Compute > Email Service > Email Routing, then select Onboard Domain. Choose the domain in your account.
- Review the DNS records. Cloudflare’s onboarding flow can add the records needed for routing. These include MX records for inbound routing and TXT records for SPF and DKIM. Review the proposed changes before finishing, especially if the domain already receives email through another provider.
- Verify a destination address. In Email Routing, open Destination Addresses and enter the inbox that should receive the forwarded mail. Open the confirmation message Cloudflare sends and complete verification. An unverified destination cannot be used in a routing rule.
- Create a routing rule. In Routing Rules, choose the recipient address or pattern and select the verified destination. A rule pairs a matching email pattern with a destination address or a Worker.
- Wait for DNS updates to take effect. Cloudflare estimates that DNS changes may take up to 24 hours to propagate globally, although they usually complete in 5–15 minutes for domains using Cloudflare DNS. These are estimates, not a guarantee for every resolver or configuration.
Choose specific addresses or a catch-all
Use a specific-address rule when you want to forward only selected addresses. A catch-all rule instead forwards mail sent to every local part at the apex domain to one destination. It may catch messages sent to a mistyped address, but it also accepts mail addressed to arbitrary names at that domain.
#1 Best Overall
| Configuration | What it forwards | Useful when |
|---|---|---|
| Specific-address rule | Mail matching the address or pattern you select | You want to route a limited set of addresses. |
| Catch-all rule | Mail sent to every local part at the apex domain, to one destination | You want to catch typos or do not want to define individual addresses. |
Catch-all is optional, works only for the apex domain, and is not available for subdomains. Email Routing works on the apex domain by default and can be extended to subdomains.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Keep existing email service and migration plans in view
MX records determine where incoming mail goes. If another provider currently hosts mail for the domain, replacing its MX records with routing records can disrupt that service. Do not remove or replace existing mail records without checking which provider should receive mail.
Cloudflare’s domain configuration documentation describes a migration path: unlock the routing records, add the replacement provider’s records alongside them, and remove the Email Service records after the new setup is verified. Plan this change before switching providers. If you disable Email Routing, Cloudflare stops processing incoming mail and removes the routing-related MX, SPF, and DKIM records it added.
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Troubleshoot setup and delivery
- The destination is missing from a rule: check the confirmation email and verify the destination address first.
- DNS status is incomplete just after onboarding: allow time for propagation; Cloudflare’s stated timing is an estimate and can vary.
- Mail is not following the expected route: inspect the domain’s MX configuration and confirm that it points to the intended receiving service.
- A matching rule appears to be ignored: check for duplicate rules with the same pattern. Cloudflare says only the first matching duplicate shown in the dashboard list processes incoming messages.
- You are disabling routing or changing providers: confirm the replacement provider’s DNS records and verify the new setup before removing Cloudflare’s routing records.
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