The cPanel Default Address and Why Catch-All Mailboxes Are a Bad Idea

When managing your email accounts through cPanel, you might come across the concept of a "catch-all" mailbox. While it might seem convenient to have all emails sent to non-existent addresses on your domain redirected to a single mailbox, this practice can lead to several issues.

Understanding the Default Settings

By default, your cPanel account is set to reject emails sent to an address that you have not already set up with a mailbox or forwarder. These emails are referred to as "unroutable." We strongly recommend leaving these default settings as they are.

The Problem with Catch-All Addresses

While it's possible to redirect all unroutable emails to a catch-all address, we advise against this practice. Catch-all addresses are prime targets for spammers. Once your domain becomes known, spammers will target random usernames at your domain. This makes it harder for us to filter spam, as your account will no longer reject emails for unknown recipients.

If You Must Use a Catch-All Address

If using a catch-all email address is unavoidable for you, and you wish to read such emails using a third-party system such as Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, etc., we recommend you configure a LOCAL mailbox to receive the messages. Then, collect mail from that mailbox using the third-party's POP3 collection tools.

1. Create Your Catch-All Mailbox: Follow the guide on how to create a mailbox in cPanel to create your catch-all mailbox. A catch-all mailbox is no different from any other mailbox.

2. Set the Default Address: Click the Default Address icon in the EMAIL section of cPanel. Under the Default Address Maintenance heading, select your domain from the drop-down list and then select the Forward to email address radio button. Enter the address of your catch-all mailbox in the Forward to email address box. Click the Change button to save your changes.

3. Read Your Catch-All Email: If you wish to read your catch-all email using a third-party system such as Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, etc., then you must use the tools made available to you on their system.
   
   

A Note About the System Account

We strongly recommend you do not forward all mail to the system account unless you have a very good reason. Again, this option will make your account a prime target for spammers.

Remember, if you're unsure about something, don't hesitate to reach out to our support team. We're here to help!