This article explains how SmarterMail Aliases work, how to create them, and how they can help route email to one or more existing mailboxes without creating a separate mailbox account.
Using Email Aliases in SmarterMail
A SmarterMail Alias is an email address that does not have its own mailbox. Instead, it forwards messages to one or more existing mailbox users.
For example, you could create:
sales@yourdomain.com
and have messages delivered to:
joe@yourdomain.com sarah@yourdomain.com
Table of Contents
What Is an Email Alias?
An email alias is an address that receives email and redirects it to one or more real mailboxes.
Important: An alias is not a mailbox. It has no password, no login, no storage, and no separate webmail account.
How Aliases Work
- Someone sends an email to the alias address
- SmarterMail receives the message
- The message is forwarded to the selected mailbox users
- The recipients receive the message inside their normal mailbox
Benefits of Aliases
No Extra Mailbox Required
Aliases can route email without creating a full mailbox account.
Useful for Departments
Addresses such as sales@, support@, billing@, or info@ can forward to the correct people.
Easy to Manage
Recipients can be changed without asking customers to use a new email address.
Good for Continuity
If staff change, the public email address can stay the same while delivery is updated behind the scenes.
Common Use Cases
| Alias | Forwards To | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| info@yourdomain.com | Admin or reception staff | General enquiries |
| sales@yourdomain.com | Sales team | Sales enquiries |
| support@yourdomain.com | Support staff | Customer support |
| accounts@yourdomain.com | Accounts department | Invoices and finance |
| jobs@yourdomain.com | HR or management | Recruitment enquiries |
How to Create an Alias in SmarterMail
- Log in to SmarterMail as a domain administrator
- Go to Domain Settings
- Open Accounts
- Select Aliases
- Click New or Create
- Enter the alias name, for example sales
- Add one or more destination mailbox recipients
- Save the alias
Once saved, emails sent to the alias address will be delivered to the selected recipients.
Potential Downsides
No Separate Login
An alias cannot be accessed directly in webmail because it is not a real mailbox.
No Separate Storage
Messages are stored in the recipient mailboxes, not inside the alias itself.
Replies May Come From Users
Replies may come from the recipient's real mailbox unless send-as permissions or identities are configured.
Shared Responsibility
If an alias forwards to several people, multiple users may receive the same message unless internal processes are clear.
Alias vs Mailbox
| Feature | Alias | Mailbox |
|---|---|---|
| Has its own login | No | Yes |
| Has its own password | No | Yes |
| Stores email separately | No | Yes |
| Can receive email | Yes | Yes |
| Can be used for departments | Yes | Yes |
| Uses a mailbox licence | No | Yes |
Best Practices
- Use aliases for public-facing department addresses
- Keep recipient lists up to date when staff change
- Use real mailboxes where separate login, storage, or accountability is required
- Avoid forwarding important aliases to too many people without a clear process
- Test new aliases after creating them
Final Thoughts
SmarterMail Aliases are a simple and useful way to route email to one or more existing users without creating extra mailbox accounts.
They are especially useful for general business addresses such as info@, sales@, support@, billing@, or accounts@.
Use an alias when you only need to route messages. Use a mailbox when you need separate login access, separate storage, or a fully independent email account.
