How to Set Up Email Forwarding in Gmail (2026)

Gmail can send a copy of your incoming mail to another address automatically. You set it up once, and every new email forwards on its own. The setup has one step that trips almost everyone — a verification code — and it works on desktop only. This guide walks through the full setup, the fix for the verification step, and how to forward only the emails you choose.

Quick answer: To forward Gmail automatically, open Settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP, click Add a forwarding address, and enter the destination. Confirm the verification code Gmail sends there, then select Forward a copy of incoming mail to and click Save Changes. Setup works on desktop only; the Gmail mobile apps cannot add a forwarding address.

The 30-second answer

Open Settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP. Click Add a forwarding address and enter the address. Confirm the verification code sent there. Then select Forward a copy of incoming mail to and click Save Changes.

How do I set up automatic forwarding in Gmail?

Set up forwarding on a computer. The Gmail mobile apps cannot add a forwarding address, so this part is desktop-only.

1. Open Gmail in a browser.
2. Click the gear icon at the top right.
3. Click See all settings.
4. Open the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
5. Click Add a forwarding address.
6. Type the address that will receive your mail. Click Next, then Proceed.
7. Gmail sends a verification email to that address. Open it and confirm (see the next section).
8. Back in the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab, select Forward a copy of incoming mail to. Pick your address.
9. Choose what Gmail does with its copy: keep it in the Inbox, archive it, or mark it as read. Then click Save Changes.

Forwarding now runs on new email that reaches your inbox. Two limits apply: Gmail does not forward messages it classifies as Spam, and existing mail is not affected. If you choose archive, Gmail keeps its copy out of the Inbox but still in All Mail — see how to find archived emails in Gmail if you need those copies later.

If you only need coverage while you are away for a short time, an auto-reply may fit better than forwarding. See how to set up out of office in Gmail.

The verification email step (where everyone gets stuck)

Gmail will not forward to an address until you prove you control it. This is the step most people get stuck on.

When you add the address, Gmail emails a confirmation message to that destination. The message holds a link and a numeric code. You must act on one of them:

• Open the destination inbox. Click the confirmation link in Gmail’s email. This verifies the address in one click.
• Or copy the code from that email. Paste it into the box in your Forwarding and POP/IMAP settings, then click Verify.

If the code never arrives:

• Check the destination’s Spam folder.
• Confirm you typed the address correctly. One wrong letter sends the code elsewhere.
• Wait a few minutes, then click Resend in the forwarding settings.
• Make sure you can sign in to the destination account to read the email.

Forwarding stays off until this step is done. It is not optional.

How to forward only certain emails using filters

Blanket forwarding sends everything. To forward only some mail — one sender, one subject, one label — use a filter instead.

Turn off automatic forwarding first. If Forward a copy of incoming mail to stays on, Gmail forwards every new message, not only filter matches.

1. Open Settings, then the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
2. Select Disable forwarding, then click Save Changes. Leave it off.
3. Add and verify the destination address if you have not already. Gmail emails a confirmation link and a numeric code to that address. The address appears in filter options only after you confirm the link or enter the code.
4. In the Gmail search bar, click the filter icon (the sliders on the right).
5. Set the condition, such as From a sender or a word in the Subject.
6. Click Create filter.
7. Tick Forward it to and pick the verified address.
8. Click Create filter to save it.

Only mail that matches the filter forwards. Keep automatic forwarding off. For more filter actions, see the Gmail filters guide.

Forward existing emails vs. only new ones

Gmail forwarding is incoming-only. It acts on mail that arrives after you turn it on. It cannot forward emails you already received.

To send old emails on, do it by hand:

• Open an email and click Forward to send that one message.
• Or tick several messages in the list, click More, then Forward as attachment. Gmail packs the selected emails into one new message as .eml attachments. This is the closest thing to a bulk forward.

Note the difference: Forward as attachment sends the old messages as files inside one email, not as separate forwarded copies. There is no setting that re-forwards your back catalog as normal mail. Plan the switch for the point from which you want copies to start. That action also does not extract the original attachments as standalone files. If you need the files, Save Bulk Gmail Attachments saves them to Drive in one action.

Forwarding to multiple addresses

Gmail’s main forwarding setting sends to one address only. There is no built-in way to forward all mail to several destinations at once.

The workaround is filters. Create one filter per address:

1. Build a filter as above.
2. Set its action to Forward it to the first address.
3. Create a second filter, with the same condition, that forwards to the second address.

Each address must be verified first. With one filter per destination, the same mail can reach several inboxes.

Personal Gmail vs. Google Workspace

The steps above cover a personal Gmail account. A Google Workspace account (a work or school address) can differ.

On Workspace, an administrator can control forwarding for the whole domain. If the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab is missing or locked, your admin has disabled it. Contact them to turn it on, or to set up routing at the domain level.

This is why some search results point to admin routing pages — those apply to Workspace domains, not to a personal inbox.

How do I turn off or change forwarding?

You manage forwarding in the same place you set it up.

1. Open Settings, then the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
2. To pause it, select Disable forwarding, then Save Changes.
3. To change the address, select Forward a copy and pick a different verified address.
4. To remove an address entirely, open the drop-down and choose Remove address.

To stop a filter-based forward, open the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab and delete or edit the filter.

Bottom line

Gmail forwarding takes a copy of each new email to another address. Set it up on desktop under Forwarding and POP/IMAP, confirm the verification code, and choose Forward a copy. For selective forwarding, use a filter with Forward it to. Remember three limits: setup is desktop-only, Spam is never forwarded, and forwarding never touches mail you already received.