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Cloudflare Email Routing can send messages addressed to your custom domain to an existing inbox at no charge. It is an incoming-mail forwarding service, not a hosted mailbox: you can receive domain email in an inbox you already use, but you should look at a separate email provider if you need an inbox on your domain or full sending and receiving.
Your domain must use Cloudflare DNS. Once that prerequisite is met, the setup is to onboard the domain, verify a destination address, and create a forwarding rule.
Before you start: check DNS and mailbox needs
- Your domain must be in your Cloudflare account and use Cloudflare DNS. Cloudflare’s Email Routing setup guide says this is required for Email Service.
- Have an existing inbox ready to receive forwarded messages. You must verify that address in Cloudflare before using it as a rule destination.
- Check whether the domain already receives email through another provider. MX records determine where incoming messages go; changing them can interrupt an existing mailbox setup.
Cloudflare describes Email Routing as free forwarding for custom addresses when you only need to receive email. Its setup documentation does not describe a hosted mailbox or guarantee that every destination provider will accept every forwarded message. See Cloudflare’s email DNS records guide for the service’s scope.
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Open Email Routing and onboard the domain
In the Cloudflare dashboard, go to Compute > Email Service > Email Routing, select Onboard Domain, and choose the domain. Review the DNS records Cloudflare proposes to add, then finish onboarding. The flow can configure the MX records for incoming routing and TXT records for SPF and DKIM. Details are in the onboarding guide and domain configuration documentation.
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If the domain already uses another email provider, do not assume its records can simply be replaced. Confirm how the existing setup should coexist or be migrated before changing MX records.
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Add and verify the destination inbox
In Email Routing’s Destination Addresses area, enter the existing address where you want mail delivered. Cloudflare sends a verification email to that address. Open it and complete verification before creating a rule; an unverified address cannot be selected as a destination.
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Create a forwarding rule
In Routing Rules, choose the recipient address or pattern and select the verified destination. A rule pairs an email pattern with a destination, which can be a verified email address or a Worker. Avoid duplicate rules for the same pattern: only the first matching rule shown in the dashboard list processes incoming messages. See Cloudflare’s rules and addresses guide.
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Decide whether to enable a catch-all
A catch-all forwards mail sent to any local part at the domain to one destination. It can receive messages sent to misspelled addresses, but it also accepts mail addressed to arbitrary local parts. Catch-all is available only for the apex domain, not subdomains. Enable it only if that broad behavior is useful for your domain.
Choose specific addresses or a catch-all
| Configuration | What it forwards | Useful when | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specific-address rule | Mail matching the address or pattern you set | You want to route selected addresses and avoid accepting mail for every possible local part | Can be configured for the domain or a subdomain |
| Catch-all rule | Mail sent to any local part at the domain | You want to catch typos or receive mail without defining each address individually | Apex domain only; forwards to one destination |
Cloudflare documents these rule options in its rules and addresses guide and subdomain routing guide.
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Email Routing depends on DNS records that direct incoming mail and support authentication for forwarded messages. Cloudflare’s onboarding can add the routing MX and SPF and DKIM TXT records. If you are migrating from Email Routing to another provider, Cloudflare says you can unlock the routing records, add the replacement provider’s records, and remove Email Service records after the new configuration is verified. Disabling Email Routing stops its processing and removes the routing-related MX, SPF, and DKIM records it added. Check the intended provider’s DNS records before switching. See Cloudflare’s domain configuration guide.
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Cloudflare’s setup guide, updated June 9, 2026, estimates that DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to propagate globally, though they usually complete within 5–15 minutes for domains using Cloudflare DNS. These are estimates, not a guarantee for every resolver or configuration. If the dashboard does not show the expected DNS state immediately after onboarding, allow time for propagation before diagnosing a persistent problem.
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Troubleshoot forwarding problems
- The destination is missing from the rule selector: Check for Cloudflare’s verification email and finish verifying the address.
- The domain’s routing status looks incomplete just after onboarding: Allow time for DNS propagation, then check the domain’s MX and TXT records.
- Mail goes to the wrong place or does not follow the expected rule: Inspect the MX configuration and review Routing Rules for duplicate patterns. Only the first listed duplicate pattern is processed.
- You are switching to another email provider: Confirm the replacement provider’s DNS setup before disabling Email Routing, because disabling removes the routing records Cloudflare added.
- A forwarded message does not appear in the destination inbox: Check the destination provider’s spam or filtering controls as well as the Cloudflare rule. The setup documentation does not establish universal acceptance or delivery of every forwarded message.
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