How to configure email forwarding in Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 admin guide · Using fictional example accounts · Updated October 2026

What does mailbox forwarding do?

Forwarding sends incoming messages received by one Exchange Online mailbox to another address. The mailbox can either keep a copy of those messages or simply forward them. It does not give the recipient direct access to the original mailbox.

Check the risks first

• Confirm that the new recipient is authorised to receive these messages; forwarded mail can contain sensitive information.
• Prefer approved internal recipients when possible. Automatic external forwarding may be restricted by Microsoft 365 outbound anti-spam policy and can introduce security risks.
• Decide whether the original mailbox needs to retain copies for business or compliance reasons.

Option 1: Configure forwarding in Exchange admin centre

1. Open Recipients → Mailboxes in the Exchange admin centre.
2. Select the mailbox and find Mailbox → Email forwarding.
3. Turn forwarding on and choose an approved destination.
4. Choose whether to deliver a copy to both the forwarding address and original mailbox.
5. Save and perform a suitable mail-delivery test.

Option 2: Use Exchange Online PowerShell

For an internal recipient already present in your Exchange organisation, one example is:

Set-Mailbox -Identity "[email protected]" -ForwardingAddress "[email protected]" -DeliverToMailboxAndForward $true

This configures forwarding while keeping a copy in the original mailbox. If keeping a copy is not appropriate, review the retention requirements and configuration before changing the setting.

To inspect the current forwarding configuration:

Get-Mailbox -Identity "[email protected]" | Format-List ForwardingAddress,ForwardingSmtpAddress,DeliverToMailboxAndForward

These are fictional addresses. Changes should be checked against your security and mail-flow policies, especially if the destination is outside your organisation.

How TenantPilot helps

TenantPilot includes a mailbox forwarding task among its everyday Exchange Online administration actions. It helps an authorised user find the operation and review key details without navigating multiple admin pages or composing a PowerShell command.

Common questions

Can I forward mail to an external email address?

Your organisation’s security policies might block automatic external forwarding. This is usually intentional; contact your IT support provider before changing those controls.

Will the original mailbox still receive a copy?

That depends on the option selected. Choose the setting deliberately and test it.

Is forwarding the same as shared-mailbox access?

No. Forwarding redirects incoming messages; Full Access gives authorised users access to the mailbox contents.