Update catch-all routing settings after settings migration

A catch-all email address is an email address that you assign to a domain to receive any incorrectly addressed messages sent to the domain. Catch-all addresses help ensure your organization gets messages for your domain, even when they’re sent to the wrong email address.

Settings migration and catch-all addresses

Legacy Google Workspace routing settings let you assign a different catch-all address for each domain associated with your account. However, during a Google migration of your account routing settings in 2017, the same catch-all username was assigned to all domains associated with your account.

As a result of the migration, every domain’s catch-all email address is based on the catch-all username for the primary domain. This address might have replaced the catch-all addresses assigned to the domain before migration. So, your Google Workspace account might not have the expected catch-all address assigned to the domains associated with your account. 

In some cases, the migration assigned domains a catch-all email address without a corresponding mailbox. Messages sent to incorrect or non-existent email addresses at your domain can’t be delivered to a catch-all mailbox. When this happens, senders get bounce messages.

What you need to do

Follow the instructions in this article to view the catch-all address for each of your domains, and update the addresses if needed. Go to the steps for your Google Workspace edition:

• Update catch-all routing settings–Most editions: All Google Workspace editions except Standard Legacy editions
• Update catch-all routing settings–Standard Legacy editions

To identify your edition, from your Google Admin console Home page, go to BillingSubscriptions. For information about editions, visit Compare Google Workspace editions.

Update catch-all routing settings–Most editions

Important: Steps for updating your routing settings are different for Google Workspace Standard Legacy and Enterprise editions. For Standard Legacy editions, go to Update catch-all routing settings for Standard Legacy editions.

Clear your legacy catch-all address, then create a new default routing rule with the new catch-all email address. Clearing your catch-all address might also clear other legacy routing settings. For help with routing settings, visit Set up routing for your domain or organization.

Step 1: Clear your current catch-all address

Before setting up your new catch-all routing address, you must clear your current catch-all address.

To clear your current catch-all email address:

1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

   Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

2. In the Admin console, go to Menu  AppsGoogle WorkspaceGmailRouting.
3. Scroll to your catch-all address in the Email routing section.
4. Click Clear.
5. To verify that your legacy catch-all address is cleared, reload the page.

   The Email routing settings table, which stored the catch-all address, no longer appears on the page. Other routing settings stored in the table might also be cleared.

Step 2: Set up a new catch-all address

Decide on a new catch-all email address. This address receives any incorrectly addressed email messages sent to your domain.

To set up a new catch-all email address:

1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

   Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

2. In the Admin console, go to Menu  AppsGoogle WorkspaceGmailDefault Routing.
3. Click Add Another Rule. The Add setting box opens.
4. In the Add setting box, take these steps:
    

   Setting	What to do
   1. Specify envelope recipients to match	Click the Down arrow  All recipients.
   2. If the envelope recipient matches the above, do the following	a. Under Envelope recipient, select the Change envelope recipient checkbox. b. Select the Replace recipient option. c. In the Replace recipient field, enter your new catch-all email address.
   3. Options	Select Perform this action only on non-recognized addresses.

5. At the bottom of the Add setting box, click Save.
6. Check that your new routing rule appears in the Default routing table.

Changes can take up to 24 hours but typically happen more quickly. Learn more

Update catch-all routing settings–Standard Legacy editions

Verify your catch-all email address, and update it if needed:

1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

   Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

2. From the Admin console Home page, go to AppsGoogle WorkspaceGmailRouting.
3. In the Catch-all address section, select the option Forward the mail to.
4. Enter the username that you’re using for the catch-all address:
   • The username must be a valid account in your domain.
   • When you enter the username, don’t include the domain name. For example, don’t include @solarmora.com after the username.
5. (Optional) To send a bounce message for messages sent to invalid addresses at your domain, select the Discard option.
6. At the bottom, click Save.

Changes can take up to 24 hours but typically happen more quickly. Learn more