How to Auto Forward Emails in Outlook and Gmail

This guide shows you how to set up automatic email forwarding in both Microsoft Outlook and Gmail, so incoming messages are sent to another address without you needing to do anything. You’ll need access to the account you want to forward from, and the destination address where you want the emails to go.

What You’ll Need

• The email address and password for the account you’re forwarding from.
• The destination email address (make sure it’s spelled correctly).
• For Outlook desktop, the email account must be set up in the app.
• For Gmail, you may need to verify ownership of the destination address if it’s a different Gmail account.

Step-by-Step

Forwarding in Gmail (Web)

1. Open Gmail in your browser and sign in to the account you want to forward from.
2. Click the gear icon (Settings) in the top right, then select See all settings.
3. Go to the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
4. Click Add a forwarding address and enter the destination email address.
5. A confirmation email will be sent to that address. Open it and click the confirmation link (or enter the code Gmail provides).
6. Back in Gmail, refresh the page. Under Forwarding, select Forward a copy of incoming mail to and choose the verified address.
7. Decide what to do with the original: keep it in the inbox, mark it as read, archive it, or delete it. Choose the option that suits you.
8. Click Save Changes at the bottom.

Forwarding in Outlook (Web / Outlook.com)

1. Sign in to Outlook.com (the web version) with the account you want to forward from.
2. Click the gear icon (Settings) in the top right, then select View all Outlook settings at the bottom of the pane.
3. In the settings window, go to Mail > Forwarding.
4. Check Enable forwarding.
5. Enter the destination email address in the field.
6. Optionally, check Keep a copy of forwarded messages if you want the original to stay in your inbox.
7. Click Save.

Forwarding in Outlook Desktop (Windows / Mac)

1. Open Outlook on your computer.
2. Click the File tab (Windows) or the Outlook menu (Mac).
3. Select Info (Windows) or Preferences (Mac).
4. Click Manage Rules & Alerts (Windows) or Rules (Mac).
5. Click New Rule (Windows) or the + button (Mac).
6. Choose Apply rule on messages I receive and click Next.
7. Select conditions (or leave them all unchecked to apply to every message) and click Next.
8. Select Forward the message to people or public group. In the bottom pane, click the underlined link people or public group and choose the destination address from your contacts or type it in.
9. Click Finish and then OK to save the rule.

Common Mistakes

• Not verifying the forwarding address in Gmail: If you skip the confirmation step, Gmail won’t allow forwarding to that address.
• Creating a loop: If you forward from account A to account B, and account B forwards back to A, you’ll get an endless loop. Make sure the destination doesn’t forward back.
• Using the wrong rule in Outlook desktop: A rule that says “after I send” won’t forward incoming mail. Make sure you choose the correct trigger.
• Forgetting to save changes: In Gmail, you must click Save Changes after setting up forwarding. In Outlook web, you must click Save.
• Forwarding to a full inbox: If the destination inbox is full, emails may bounce back. Check that the destination account has enough space.

Tips

• Use a filter in Gmail to forward only specific emails (e.g., from a certain sender) by creating a filter and choosing “Forward it to” as the action.
• In Outlook desktop, you can create multiple rules for different senders or subjects, each with its own forwarding action.
• If you want to forward to multiple addresses, you’ll need to set up forwarding to one address and then set up forwarding on that address to the next, or use a group/alias.
• Test forwarding by sending a test email to the original account and checking that it arrives at the destination.
• For Gmail, you can also set up POP/IMAP to fetch emails from another account, but forwarding is simpler for a one-way copy.

Troubleshooting

• Forwarding not working: Check that the forwarding address is verified (Gmail) and that the rule is enabled (Outlook). Also, check the spam folder of the destination account for forwarded messages.
• Emails are duplicated: If you have both a rule and a forwarding setting, you might get duplicates. Remove one of them.
• Forwarded emails are marked as spam: Add the original account’s address to the contacts of the destination account, or check the spam folder and mark as “Not spam”.
• Cannot add forwarding address in Gmail: Make sure you’re entering a valid email address. If it’s a Gmail address, you might need to verify it by entering the confirmation code sent to that address.
• Outlook desktop rule not firing: Ensure the rule is not disabled (check the checkbox in the Rules dialog) and that it’s in the right order. Try running the rule manually via “Run Rules Now” to test.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I forward only certain emails automatically?

Yes. In Gmail, create a filter with your criteria and choose “Forward it to” as the action. In Outlook desktop, add conditions to the rule.

Will the original email remain in my inbox?

In Gmail, you can choose to keep, archive, mark as read, or delete the original. In Outlook web, you can keep a copy by checking the box. In Outlook desktop, the rule forwards a copy, so the original stays unless you add an action to delete it.

Can I forward to multiple addresses at once?

Not directly. You can forward to one address, and then set up forwarding on that address to another, but that creates a chain. Alternatively, use a distribution list or group email.

Does forwarding work for messages I send?

No, forwarding applies to incoming messages only. To copy outgoing messages, you’d need to set up a rule that runs after sending, but that’s different from forwarding.

Will forwarding work if the original account is closed?

No, you need an active account to forward from. If you close the account, forwarding stops.

Is there a limit to how many emails can be forwarded?

Both Gmail and Outlook have sending limits, but for typical personal use, you’re unlikely to hit them. If you forward a huge volume, you might see temporary restrictions.

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