Email Aliases and Forwarders — What's the Difference?

Aliases and forwarders both send mail somewhere else, but they solve different problems. Here's how to pick the right one, and how to set each up.

Aliases — extra addresses, same inbox

An alias is an additional address that delivers into an existing mailbox. For example, sales@yourbusiness.com.au and accounts@yourbusiness.com.au can both land in the one info@ inbox — one login, one place to check.

Use aliases when the same person handles several addresses.

Forwarders — send a copy to another address

A forwarder relays incoming mail to a different address — including addresses outside your domain (like a Gmail account). You can:

• Add a forwarder to an existing mailbox (keep a copy AND send one on), or
• Create a forward-only address with no mailbox at all — mail passes straight through.

Use forwarders when mail should end up in an inbox that isn't on your hosting.

How to set them up

1. Log in to your Tech Temple account, go to Services, select your hosting service, and click Login to Panel.
2. Select your website and open the Emails tab.
3. For a new address: click Add account and choose a mailbox (with optional aliases/forwarders) or a forwarder-only address.
4. For an existing address: open its Manage page and add aliases or forwarders there.

Good to know

• A forward-only address can't send mail — it only relays. If you need to reply as that address, create a proper mailbox instead.
• Every address needs somewhere for mail to go: a mailbox, or at least one forwarding destination.
• Forwarding to external services like Gmail generally works well, but very occasionally the receiving service may treat forwarded marketing mail as spam — check the destination's spam folder if something seems missing.