Shopify lets you create unlimited email-forwarding addresses on your store domain for free, as long as you bought or transferred the domain through Shopify. The setup takes about 5 minutes once you know where to click. The catch: forwarding only works inbound (you can’t send from the domain), and if your domain is registered with a third-party provider, the steps live on the registrar side, not on Shopify’s. This post walks the full setup, what to do for third-party domains, the DNS records involved, and the common troubleshooting reasons forwarding doesn’t work.

Key Takeaways
1
Email forwarding on Shopify is free and unlimited if your domain is registered through Shopify. You can create [email protected], [email protected], and so on, all forwarded to a single personal inbox.
2
Forwarding is inbound only. You receive emails sent to the domain address, but replies go out from your personal inbox (Gmail, etc.), not from the domain. To send FROM your domain, you need a third-party email service like Google Workspace or Zoho Mail.
3
For Shopify-managed domains the path is: Settings > Domains > pick the domain > Add forwarding email address.
4
For third-party domains (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc.), forwarding is configured on the registrar side, not in Shopify. Each registrar has its own steps but the concept is the same.
5
If forwarding stops working, the cause is almost always a missing or wrong MX record on the domain DNS, or a typo in the destination address. Both are checkable in 30 seconds.

Setting Up Email Forwarding for a Shopify-Managed Domain

This is the simpler path. If you bought the domain through Shopify or transferred it in, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Domain Settings

From your Shopify admin, click Settings (bottom-left), then click Domains in the left nav. You’ll see a list of every domain attached to your store.

Step 2: Pick the Domain You Want to Forward From

Click the domain (not the primary store URL, the actual domain name like yourstore.com). This opens the domain detail page.

Step 3: Add a Forwarding Email Address

Scroll to the Email forwarding section and click Add forwarding email address. A modal opens with two fields: the store email (the address you’re creating, like help) and the destination address (where forwarded emails should land, like [email protected]).

Step 4: Fill in the Two Fields

For the store email field, just type the prefix you want. Shopify auto-appends @yourdomain.com so you don’t need to type the full address. For the destination, type the full email address you want forwards delivered to.

Step 5: Save

Click Save. The forwarding is live within 1-2 minutes. Send a test email from a different account to verify; it should land in the destination inbox within 30 seconds. If nothing arrives in 5 minutes, check spam, then check the troubleshooting section below.

Setting Up Email Forwarding for a Third-Party Domain

If your domain is registered with GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, or any other registrar (not Shopify), the steps live on the registrar side. Shopify does not control forwarding for domains it doesn’t host.

GoDaddy

Go to GoDaddy account > My Products > Email & Office > Email Forwarding. Add a forwarding entry with the source ([email protected]) and destination. GoDaddy includes 100 free forwards per domain.

Namecheap

From your Namecheap account > Domain List > Manage > Advanced DNS, set the MX record per Namecheap’s instructions, then go to Domain List > Manage > Redirect Email and add the forwarding rule.

Cloudflare

Cloudflare Email Routing is free and surprisingly clean. From the Cloudflare dashboard, select your domain, click Email > Email Routing, follow the setup wizard. Cloudflare configures the MX and SPF records automatically.

The DNS Records That Make Forwarding Work

Forwarding needs an MX record (mail exchange) on the domain pointing to the forwarding provider’s mail servers. For Shopify-managed domains this is set automatically when you add a forwarding address. For third-party domains, the MX record lives on whichever DNS provider hosts your nameservers, and the registrar’s forwarding wizard usually sets it for you.

If you’ve manually changed your MX record (e.g., you tried Google Workspace, set it up, then cancelled but didn’t restore the original MX), forwarding will silently break. The fastest check: use a free MX lookup tool (Google “mxtoolbox”) and confirm your domain has the expected MX record. If it points somewhere unexpected or is missing, that’s the problem.

Why You Probably Want a Real Email Service Eventually

Forwarding is great for low-volume stores. Once you have any meaningful customer-service load, you start hitting the limits:

  • You can’t reply from the domain address. Customers see your reply coming from [email protected], which looks unprofessional and lands in spam more often.
  • Spam filters are harsher on forwarded mail. A legitimate customer email forwarded to Gmail sometimes gets flagged because the forwarding flow alters the SPF/DKIM signatures.
  • You can’t run a shared inbox. Multiple people answering support email need a real email service or a helpdesk tool that connects to one.

The standard upgrades are Google Workspace ($6/user/month) or Zoho Mail (free for one user with a custom domain). Both let you send and receive properly from your store domain. Set them up by changing your domain’s MX records to the new provider; Shopify is happy to host the domain while a different service handles the email.

Troubleshooting: Forwarding Set Up But Nothing Arrives

Three common causes, in order of how often we see them:

  1. Typo in the destination address. Recheck the destination email you typed in Shopify. A single character off and forwards go to nowhere with no error.
  2. Wrong MX record. Use mxtoolbox.com to look up your domain’s MX. For a Shopify-managed domain it should point to Shopify’s forwarding servers. If it points to Google or another service, that’s where mail is being routed instead of being forwarded.
  3. Destination inbox spam folder. Especially on Gmail, forwarded mail occasionally lands in spam on the first few sends. Check spam once, mark as Not Spam, and future forwards land in the inbox.

Once your domain’s DNS is configured for email forwarding, make sure your Shopify SSL certificate has issued correctly too. Both forwarding and SSL share the domain DNS as a single point of failure.