How InboxRelay Works
Three simple steps to use your business email without a new inbox.
Add Your Domain
Sign up and add your business domain (like yourbusiness.com). We'll give you three DNS records to add to your domain settings—think of it like updating your address book to tell the internet where to send your emails.
What you'll do:
- 1 Log into wherever you manage your domain (like GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc.)
- 2 Copy and paste the three DNS records we show you
- 3 Click the "Check DNS" button and we'll verify everything is set up correctly
Don't worry if this sounds technical—we give you step-by-step instructions with screenshots. Most people finish this in about 10 minutes, even if they've never touched DNS settings before.
Set Where Emails Should Go
Tell us where to forward your emails. Want all emails to hello@yourbusiness.com to arrive in your personal Gmail? Just enter your Gmail address and you're done.
Common setups:
Simple catch-all (most popular)
All emails to ANY address at your domain go to your Gmail
Specific addresses
Route different addresses to different inboxes
You can change these rules anytime—add new addresses, remove old ones, or update where they go. Changes take effect immediately.
Start Receiving Emails
That's it! When someone sends an email to hello@yourbusiness.com, it arrives in your personal inbox within seconds. Reply from your personal email just like normal—the recipient will see it came from you.
What happens behind the scenes:
Someone sends email to hello@yourbusiness.com
Their email client looks up where to send it
InboxRelay receives it
We check it's legitimate, log it, and get ready to forward
Email arrives in your Gmail
All attachments, images, and formatting preserved perfectly
Check your dashboard anytime to:
- See every email that was forwarded
- Check if delivery was successful
- Troubleshoot any issues (if something goes wrong, we show you exactly what happened)
- Add or change forwarding addresses
Common Questions
Do I need to keep checking the InboxRelay dashboard?
No! Emails automatically arrive in your regular inbox. You only need the dashboard for initial setup or if you want to check logs or change settings.
Can I reply to forwarded emails?
Yes! Just hit reply in your personal inbox like you normally would. The recipient receives it from your personal email address, not your business domain.
What if I want replies to show my business email?
Most email providers (Gmail, Outlook, etc.) let you set up "send as" another email address. This is a feature in your email provider's settings, and once configured, replies will show your business domain.
How long does setup take?
Most people finish in 10-15 minutes. The DNS changes can take a few minutes to a few hours to fully propagate across the internet, but usually it's pretty quick.
Is this really free?
Yes! We have a free plan that works great for most small businesses and solo entrepreneurs. No credit card required to start.
Ready to start?
Set up your professional business email in minutes. No technical expertise required.