This guide explains how to create a "catchall" type email address on a Mail Service.

Preamble

• A "catchall" type email address retrieves all emails sent to non-existent email addresses on the domain.
• This is ideal if you want to receive all messages for which there is no specific address on your domain.
• The email address must be precisely named "catchall" and appear as an address created on the Mail Service of the domain concerned.
• Also refer to the important recommendations at the end of this guide.

Create a catchall address

To access the Mail Service and create the catchall address:

1. Click here to access the management of your product on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the product concerned.
3. Click on the chevron ‍ to the right of the blue button Create an email address.
4. Click on Create a generic email address.
5. Choose Catchall.
6. Click on Continue:
   

Example

1. You use the email address jonnie.smith@domain.xyz which works and exists on the Mail Service domain.xyz.
   • You have also created an address catchall@domain.xyz on the Mail Service domain.xyz.
2. An email is sent to smith.johnny@domain.xyz because the sender misspelled the recipient's address.
3. The email will still arrive in the catchall@domain.xyz box, which you just need to check in the Mail interface of your choice.
4. Same goes if you delete the address jonnie.smith@domain.xyz one day; if you keep the catchall address, then it is the latter that will receive everything that is still addressed to the non-existent address…

Important recommendations

The creation of this type of account is however not recommended:

• Catchall addresses receive all emails sent to any domain address; this means that they are often flooded with spam, which can be difficult to manage and filter.
• Due to the high volume of spam, legitimate messages can be drowned and lost in the mass, which can result in the loss of important communications.
• Catchall addresses can potentially be used by attackers to target your domain with brute force attacks or other methods, as they offer an easy target for testing different address combinations.

Moreover, if you configure the "Responder" feature on a catchall@ address of your domain, no automatic response will be sent to people sending a message to a non-existent address of the domain.