Using email aliases and redirections
Find out how to manage aliases and email redirections
Last updated 1st February 2023
Objective
In this guide, you will find information and support on how to configure email redirections, such as redirecting emails received from address A to address B.
This guide explains how to manage aliases and email redirections.
What is an email redirection?
You can use redirections to change the routing of an email sent to an email address, forwarding it to one or more other email addresses.
For example, you may want emails sent to contact@mydomain.ovh forwarded to john.smith@otherdomain.ovh. By doing so, you can automatically send emails received by contact@mydomain.ovh to john.smith@otherdomain.ovh.
What is an email alias?
Unlike redirection, an alias address is not an actual email account, but functions as a secondary address for the email account associated with it.
By creating an alias for your email account, you can give your contacts a "masking" address instead of revealing your personal email address to them. An email account can have multiple aliases.
For example, your email address is john.smith@mydomain.ovh and your alias is information@mydomain.ovh. You can then send your contacts the address information@mydomain.ovh and receive emails on john.smith@mydomain.ovh, without the sender knowing the address john.smith@mydomain.ovh.
Redirection and alias in comparison
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Simple redirection (diagram 1 below): The email is sent directly to the redirection email address, the original recipient does not receive the email.
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Redirection with local copy (diagram 2 below): Both the original recipient and the redirection email account will receive the email.
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Email alias (diagram 3 below): The email is sent to the alias address and received by the email account on which the alias has been configured.
Note that you can configure a redirection to several email addresses.
Requirements
- A preconfigured OVHcloud email solution, such as Hosted Exchange or MX Plan (available with a web hosting plan)
- Access to the OVHcloud Control Panel
Instructions
The sections “Creating a redirection” and “Creating an alias” concern all OVHcloud email solutions, unless if you have a domain name registered with OVHcloud without an attached email solution.
For these exception, please read the paragraph “Creating a redirection or an alias for a domain name without an email solution”.
Creating a redirection
Redirections are not managed in the OVHcloud Control Panel, but via the webmail application after logging in to the email account concerned.
Go to the address https://www.ovhcloud.com/en-ca/mail/. Enter your email address and password to log in.
In our example, we are setting up a redirection with a local copy (see diagram 2 at the beginning of this guide). If this is what you need, click OK (floppy disk icon) in the top left-hand corner, and the rule will be applied. If you do not want to do this, skip to the next step.
Follow the instruction steps by clicking successively on each tab below:
Once you have logged in to your email account via webmail, click on the cogwheel icon in the top right-hand corner, then on Options.
From the Options window in the left-hand column, go to the Automatic processing category in the Mail section and click on Inbox and sweep rules.
In this window, you can manage redirections and apply filters to all incoming emails.
Once you have opened the window for managing Inbox rules, click on the + icon on the top left-hand corner.
Name: Define the name of your redirection.
When the message arrives, and it matches all of these conditions: If your redirection applies to all messages, select [Apply to all messages].
Do all of the following: This is where you apply the redirection. Select Forward, redirect or send, then Redirect the message to....
Type the address you want to redirect the email to in the field Redirect the message to..., then click Save. Finally, click OK (floppy disk icon) to create your redirection.
To apply a simple redirection (see diagram 1 at the beginning of this guide), add an additional rule to your redirection with a local copy in this window. Click Add action (box 1), then Move, copy, or delete, and then click Delete the message. This rule moves the email into the trash folder after it has been forwarded to the redirection email address.
Creating an alias
Log in to the OVHcloud Control Panel and go to the Web Cloud section. Navigate to your email solution:
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Exchange: Open
Microsoftand thenExchange. Select the service concerned. Click on theEmail accountstab. -
Emails (MX Plan): Open
Emails, select the platform concerned, and click on theEmail accountstab.
To add an alias to your email account, follow the instruction steps by clicking successively on each tab below:
In the table that appears, you will see an Alias column.
Click the ... button, then click Configure aliases (or Manage aliases).
Click Add Alias and enter the address you have chosen for your alias and confirm your choice.
Deleting an alias
In the Email accounts tab, click on the ... button to the right of the email accounts concerned. Then click Configure aliases (or Manage aliases).
Click on the button ... in the row of the alias in question and select Delete alias.
Creating a redirection or an alias for a domain name without an email solution
Log in to the OVHcloud Control Panel and open Emails in the Web Cloud section.
The method for creating an alias or redirection is the same. Follow the instruction steps by clicking successively on each tab below:
After selecting your service, you will be on the General information tab. Click on the Emails tab, then Manage redirections on the right-hand side.
The table showing active redirections will appear. Click on the button Add a redirection to the right.
From the address: Enter the email address from which you want to forward emails.
To the address: Enter the destination address for your redirection. This can be one of your OVHcloud email addresses, or an external email address.
Select a copy format: Choose whether you want to:
- Keep a copy of the email at OVHcloud (receive the email on your primary email account and redirection email account)
cf. the diagram 2 at the beginning of this guide.
- Do not store a copy of the email (forward directly to the redirection email address without the primary email account receiving it)
cf. the diagram 1 at the beginning of this guide.
Then click Confirm to add this redirection.
When you choose “Keep a copy of the email at OVHcloud”, a redirection of the email address to itself is automatically created in the redirection list. This creates the local copies of emails.
Go further
Join our community of users on https://community.ovh.com/en/.
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