What is domain forwarding and how does it work?

Domain forwarding sends everyone who visits one domain to another web address. Someone types old-brand.com and lands on new-brand.com, without doing anything. It is the same thing as a domain redirect: “forwarding” is the word registrars tend to use, “redirect” the word web developers use.

What people use it for

• A new name. The old domain after a rebrand or merger keeps sending visitors and search engines to the new one.
• Extra domains. Typo domains, other country endings such as .de or .co.uk, and short domains for print all lead to the main site.
• A domain without a website. A domain that should point to a social profile, a shop on a marketplace or a page on another site.
• One address for both versions. www.example.com and example.com lead to the same place. Redirect www to non-www.

How it works

Forwarding takes two parts working together:

1. DNS points the domain at a server. A DNS record tells browsers which server answers for old-brand.com. DNS can only point to a server; it cannot send anyone to a web address by itself.
2. That server answers with a redirect. Instead of a page, it sends back a status code such as 301 and the new address. The browser goes there straight away, and the address bar shows the new address.

Whoever runs that server decides what forwarding can do: whether https:// links work, which redirect type is sent, and whether different pages can go to different places. That is why forwarding behaves differently at different registrars and services. What a 301 redirect is.

Forwarding with or without masking

Many registrars offer two kinds. Forwarding (also called a redirect) changes the address bar to the new address, as described above. Masking keeps the old domain in the address bar and shows the other site inside a frame. Masking causes problems with search engines, HTTPS and many websites that refuse to be framed, so use plain forwarding unless you have a very specific reason. Domain masking vs forwarding.

What good forwarding should handle

• HTTPS. Old links, bookmarks and browsers often use https://. The forwarding server needs a valid certificate for your domain, or visitors see a security warning before the redirect can run. Why HTTPS forwarding breaks.
• The right redirect type. A permanent 301 for a move that is for good, a temporary 302 for one that is not. 301 or 302?
• Paths. old-brand.com/pricing should land on the pricing page, not the home page. Path forwarding.
• Both www and non-www. Visitors type both, and each needs its own DNS record.

Where to set it up

You do not need a website or hosting for the domain you forward. The usual places are the forwarding setting at your registrar, redirect rules at your DNS provider, or a redirect service such as Redirect Ninja, which works with a domain from any registrar. The three options compared, or go straight to the step-by-step guide.

Domain forwarding is not email forwarding

Forwarding a domain only affects visitors to its web addresses. Email to [email protected] is handled by the domain’s MX records, which forwarding does not touch, so email keeps working as before. Forwarding that email to another address is a separate setting at your email provider or registrar.

Related guides

• Getting started: create your first redirect
• A record vs CNAME: which DNS record to use
• Why you can't use a CNAME on a root domain
• How long does domain forwarding take?
• Domain forwarding not working: troubleshooting checklist
• ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS: causes and fixes
• Redirect a domain without hosting