Creating a Catch-All (Default) Address in cPanel

A catch-all address — called the Default Address in cPanel — decides what happens to mail sent to an address at your domain that does not exist. Instead of bouncing those messages, you can send them to a real mailbox, discard them, or keep the default bounce behaviour. This guide shows you how to set it in cPanel.

About the default (catch-all) address

When someone emails an address at your domain that has no mailbox — often a typo like inffo@yourdomain.com — your server needs to know what to do. The Default Address setting controls that. cPanel gives you three common choices:

• Discard the message (recommended for most people).
• Forward to a real mailbox so nothing is missed.
• Send a bounce/failure notice back to the sender.

Warning: Forwarding all unrouted mail to a real mailbox can flood it with spam, because spammers frequently target made-up addresses at a domain. Discarding is usually the better choice.

Before you begin

• Access to cPanel for your hosting plan. See Adding a New Email Account in cPanel for how to reach cPanel.
• The domain you want to configure, if your plan hosts more than one.

Step 1: Open Default Address

1. Sign in to the Exact Hosting portal and open cPanel.
2. In the Email section, click Default Address.
3. If your plan has more than one domain, select the domain from the drop-down.

Step 2: Choose how to handle unrouted mail

Discard unrouted mail (recommended)

1. Select Discard the email while sending an error message to the sender (or the discard option without a notice, if you prefer no bounce).
2. Click Save (or Change).

Send unrouted mail to a real mailbox

1. Select Forward to email address.
2. Enter the full address of an existing mailbox that should receive the unrouted mail.
3. Click Save (or Change).

Step 3: Test (optional)

Send a message to an address at your domain that you know does not exist, and confirm it behaves the way you set — discarded, or delivered to the mailbox you chose.

Catch-all vs. forwarders and aliases

• A catch-all handles every address that does not exist. Use it as a safety net, not a routing tool.
• A forwarder routes a specific named address to another mailbox. See Setting Up Email Forwarders in cPanel.

Tip: If you want to receive mail for a few specific role addresses (like sales@ or info@), create individual forwarders or mailboxes rather than relying on the catch-all. That keeps spam out and routing clear.

Next steps

• Route specific addresses. See Setting Up Email Forwarders in cPanel.
• Filter incoming mail automatically. See Using Email Filters in cPanel.
• Cut down on spam. See Managing Apache SpamAssassin in cPanel.

Questions? Contact Exact Hosting Support.