Gmail can forward incoming messages to another email address. This can be useful if you check one inbox more often or need messages sent to a secondary address.

These steps apply to Gmail on a computer. If you use Google Workspace through your employer or organization, the administrator may restrict automatic forwarding to external addresses.

Turn on automatic forwarding

1. Open Gmail in a desktop browser and sign in to the account you want to forward from.
2. Click the Settings gear, then See all settings.
3. Open the Forwarding and POP/IMAP or Forwarding tab. The label may vary by account.
4. In the Forwarding section, choose Add a forwarding address.
5. Enter the email address that should receive the messages.
6. Confirm the request. Gmail sends a verification message to the destination address.
7. Open the destination inbox and select the verification link in Google’s email.
8. Return to Gmail’s forwarding settings and refresh the browser if necessary.
9. Select Forward a copy of incoming mail to and choose the verified address.
10. Choose what happens to Gmail’s copy. For most people, Keep Gmail’s copy in the Inbox is a sensible option.
11. Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

Forwarding applies to new incoming messages after the feature is enabled. Gmail generally does not forward messages classified as spam through its ordinary automatic-forwarding rule.

Forward only selected messages

If you only need to forward messages from certain senders or with specific subjects, create a Gmail filter instead of forwarding everything. In Gmail’s search options, define the criteria, create the filter, and choose the forwarding action using a verified forwarding address.

Turn off automatic forwarding

1. Return to Settings > See all settings > Forwarding and POP/IMAP (or Forwarding).
2. Select Disable forwarding.
3. Click Save Changes.

Troubleshooting

If you don’t see the forwarding option, check that you are using the desktop Gmail interface. If this is a Google Workspace account, your organization’s policies may prevent forwarding.

If the destination never receives the verification email, check the address for typing errors and inspect its spam folder. Verify that you can receive ordinary messages at that address before trying again.

Do not forward customer or confidential business emails to another account without confirming that the destination is appropriate and authorized to receive them.