Catch-all email explained
A catch-all receives mail sent to undefined addresses at your domain, but rejecting unknown recipients is usually safer
Catch-all delivery can rescue a mistyped address, but it also accepts spam sent to invented names and can hide customer mistakes. Create explicit mailboxes, aliases or forwarders for addresses you actually advertise, then reject mail to everyone else.
What does catch-all email do?
If sales@example.com exists but someone sends to sale@example.com, a catch-all can deliver the mistyped message to a chosen mailbox. Without a catch-all, the mail server rejects the undefined recipient. Catch-all affects incoming recipient handling only. It does not create separate inboxes or make invented addresses valid for sending.
Should a small business enable catch-all?
Possible benefit
It can recover messages when a customer makes a small typing error in the part before the @ sign.
Spam cost
Automated senders try many invented names, so the receiving mailbox can collect substantially more junk.
Mistakes stay hidden
Customers may keep using a wrong address because their message appeared to work.
Clearer alternative
Create explicit aliases for likely variations and reject all other unknown recipients.
How do you change unknown-recipient handling in Plesk?
- 1Open Mail Settings
Sign in to Plesk, open Mail and then Mail Settings for the correct domain.
- 2Find nonexistent-user mail
Review the option for messages sent to addresses that do not exist.
- 3Choose Reject
Use rejection as the safer normal setting, or select the available forwarding option only when there is a clear need.
- 4Save and test
Send from an external account to one real address and one invented address.
The options shown can vary by service and server policy. Parked-domain Email Forwarding and Custom Domain Email are managed in the domain control centre rather than Plesk.
Better ways to cover important addresses
| Option | Use it for | Advantage |
|---|---|---|
| Mailbox | A person or team that needs its own inbox | Separate storage, login and sending identity |
| Alias | An additional public address for an existing mailbox | Covers useful variations without accepting every name |
| Forwarder | Sending messages on to another inbox | Simple delivery without another inbox to check |
| Reject unknown | All names you have not deliberately created | Reduces junk and exposes incorrect addresses |
Does catch-all create unlimited mailboxes?
No. All undefined addresses go to the chosen destination and do not become separate mailboxes.
Can I send from any catch-all address?
Not automatically. Sending identities must be configured and authenticated separately.
Will disabling it lose legitimate mail?
Mail to real mailboxes and aliases continues. Messages to undefined or mistyped names will be rejected, so create any important variations first.
Why am I receiving mail for random names?
A catch-all may be enabled, or an existing wildcard-style rule may forward mail to the mailbox. Review the domain’s mail settings.
Keep business email predictable
Create the addresses people need and reject the rest
This gives customers clear contact points without filling one inbox with mail to invented recipients.