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How to Set a Catch-All Email Address

10 Jan 2026 · 4 min read · DelhiHosting Team

A catch-all decides what happens to mail sent to addresses at your domain that don’t exist. Set it thoughtfully to avoid losing mail — or drowning in spam.

What a catch-all does

When someone emails a wrong or non-existent address at your domain, the catch-all (default address) setting decides whether it’s delivered somewhere, bounced back, or silently discarded.

Choose your setting

In Default Address, you can forward unmatched mail to a real mailbox, or set it to bounce so senders know they used a wrong address. Forwarding catches genuine typos but can attract a lot of spam.

The usual recommendation

For most businesses, setting unmatched mail to bounce (discard with an error) is cleaner, since spammers love catch-alls. If you forward, monitor the inbox and filter it well.

Quick tips
  • Controls mail to non-existent addresses
  • Set it in Default Address
  • Bouncing avoids catch-all spam
  • Forward only if you’ll filter it
Key takeaway

A catch-all routes mail to addresses that don’t exist — bouncing is cleaner for most, since forwarding everything attracts spam.

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