How to Forward Email to Gmail in DirectAdmin

Receiving emails sent to your custom domain address (such as [email protected] or [email protected]) directly inside your personal or business Gmail inbox is a convenient way to manage communications without constantly logging into webmail.

There are two primary methods to connect your DirectAdmin email to Gmail:

1. Method 1: DirectAdmin Server-Side Email Forwarder – Automatically redirects incoming messages to your Gmail address instantly.
2. Method 2: Gmail POP3 Mail Fetcher (Recommended) – Configures Gmail to fetch emails directly from your server mailbox, ensuring 100% deliverability and preventing SPF/DMARC forwarding spam rejections.

In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through both forwarding methods, how to configure Gmail’s “Send Mail As” feature to reply directly from your custom domain within Gmail, and key email authentication practices (SPF & DKIM).

Prerequisites

• An active web hosting account on Aveshost with DirectAdmin access.
• A registered domain name pointing to your Aveshost hosting account.
• An active Google or Gmail account (e.g. [email protected]).
• A custom email account created in DirectAdmin if using Method 2 (see How to Create an Email Account in DirectAdmin).

Method 1: Create an Email Forwarder in DirectAdmin (Instant Redirection)

This method automatically redirects any incoming email sent to your custom address directly to your Gmail account without requiring you to store emails on the server.

Step 1: Log in to DirectAdmin

1. Log in to your Aveshost Client Area (my.aveshost.com).
2. Navigate to Services > select your active web hosting plan > click Log in to DirectAdmin.

Step 2: Navigate to Forwarders

1. In the DirectAdmin dashboard, locate the E-Mail Manager category.
2. Click on Forwarders.

Step 3: Create a New Forwarder

1. Click the Create Forwarder button in the top right corner.
2. Fill in the forwarder details:
   • Forwarder Name: Enter the email prefix you want to forward (e.g. enter info for [email protected]).
   • Destination Email: Enter your full destination Gmail address (e.g. [email protected]).

   Tip: You can add multiple forwarding addresses separated by commas if you want messages to reach more than one recipient.

3. Click Create.

Your forwarder is now active. Any email sent to [email protected] will immediately be routed to your Gmail inbox.

Method 2: Fetch DirectAdmin Emails via Gmail POP3 (Recommended for Deliverability)

Due to strict anti-spam policies and DMARC enforcement by Google and major email providers, forwarded emails can occasionally be marked as spam or rejected if the original sender uses a strict DMARC policy. Setting up Gmail to directly fetch emails via POP3 bypasses forwarding filters and guarantees that 100% of messages reach your inbox.

Step 1: Get Your DirectAdmin Mail Settings

Ensure you have created a mailbox in DirectAdmin and have these connection details:

• Email Address / Username: [email protected]
• Password: Your email account password
• POP3 Server Hostname: mail.domain.com (or your server hostname)
• Port: 995 (SSL/TLS encrypted)

Step 2: Configure Gmail to Fetch Emails

1. Open your Gmail account in a web browser.
2. Click the Settings (Gear icon) in the top right corner > click See all settings.
3. Click on the Accounts and Import tab.
4. Scroll down to the “Check email from other accounts” section and click Add an email account.
5. In the popup window:
   • Enter your custom email address (e.g. [email protected]) > click Next.
   • Select Import emails from my other account (POP3) > click Next.
6. Enter the server credentials:
   • Username: Your full email address (e.g. [email protected])
   • Password: Your email password
   • POP Server: mail.domain.com
   • Port: Select 995
   • Check “Always use a secure connection (SSL) when retrieving mail” (Checked).
   • Check “Label incoming messages” (Recommended: Allows you to easily identify custom domain emails in your Gmail inbox).
   • Leave a copy of retrieved message on the server: Check if you want a backup in DirectAdmin Webmail, or uncheck to save server disk space.
7. Click Add Account.

Bonus: Configure “Send Mail As” (Reply from Custom Domain in Gmail)

Once you are receiving custom domain emails in Gmail, you can also send and reply to emails directly from Gmail using your [email protected] address without exposing your personal @gmail.com address:

1. In Gmail Settings > Accounts and Import, locate the “Send mail as” section.
2. Click Add another email address.
3. Enter your display Name and your custom email address ([email protected]) > click Next Step.
4. Configure the SMTP outgoing mail server:
   • SMTP Server: mail.domain.com
   • Port: 465 (SSL) or 587 (TLS)
   • Username: [email protected]
   • Password: Your email account password
   • Secured connection using SSL: Selected
5. Click Add Account.
6. Google will send a verification code to your custom email address. Open your inbox, retrieve the confirmation code, enter it into the verification box, and click Verify.

Important: Verify SPF & DKIM Records for High Deliverability

To ensure emails sent or forwarded from your domain are never flagged as spam by Google, verify that your domain has valid SPF and DKIM DNS records enabled:

1. In DirectAdmin, go to E-Mail Manager > E-Mail Accounts > ensure DKIM is enabled (see our guide on How to Enable DKIM in DirectAdmin).
2. Ensure your domain’s DNS includes Aveshost’s standard SPF record:

   v=spf1 a mx ip4:YOUR_SERVER_IP ~all

Frequently Asked Questions & Troubleshooting

Q: What is the difference between an Email Forwarder and an Email Account?
A: An Email Account has its own mailbox storage on the server where messages are stored until deleted. An Email Forwarder (or alias) simply passes incoming messages to another address (like Gmail) without consuming local hosting storage space.

Q: Why are forwarded emails ending up in Gmail's Spam folder?
A: Server-side forwarders preserve the original sender headers. If the original sender's domain strictly enforces SPF/DMARC (like PayPal or banking institutions), Gmail may flag forwarded messages. Switching to Method 2 (Gmail POP3 Fetcher) resolves this permanently.

Q: Can I forward emails to multiple Gmail addresses?
A: Yes. When creating a forwarder in DirectAdmin, enter multiple email addresses separated by commas (e.g. [email protected], [email protected]).

Need Further Assistance?

If you encounter any issues configuring email forwarders, setting up POP3 mail fetching, or configuring SMTP settings in DirectAdmin, our technical support team is available 24/7. Feel free to submit a support ticket through your client area for prompt assistance.