How to Forward Emails in Gmail: A Step-by-Step Guide for 2025

If you’re managing multiple email accounts and want to consolidate them or need to share an important message with your team, this guide is for you.

Gmail’s forwarding features can help greatly simplify your email management.

I’ll walk you through exactly what you need to do to get set up, whether you want to automatically forward all your emails to a new inbox, set up custom rules for forwarding, or only need to send a single message.

Here’s everything you need to know about how to forward emails in Gmail.

💡 Quick start guide to Gmail forwarding

• Setup time: 1-7 minutes (depending on chosen method)
• Skill level: Beginner 

USE CASES:

• ✅ Sharing important emails with teammates
• ✅ Transitioning to a new email address
• ✅ Managing multiple inboxes efficiently

FORWARDING OPTIONS:

1. Single email forwarding → to quickly send to another address
2. Automatic forwarding → to send all emails to a new address 
3. Filter forwarding → to automatically forward specific types of emails as they come in

Simple steps to forward your first email in Gmail

How to forward an email in Gmail:

1. Open the email you want to forward
2. Click the Forward button (➦) below the email contents, or click the three dots (…) and select “Forward”
3. Enter the recipient’s email address in the “To” field
4. Optionally, you can add a message above the forwarded content
5. Click Send

All email attachments are automatically included, up to Gmail’s 25MB size limit.

That’s all you need to do! After this, your email will be promptly forwarded to the recipient along with all its original content.

Methods for forwarding emails in Gmail

Let’s cover each in more detail:

• Single forwarding
• Auto forwarding
• Filter forwarding

1. How to manually forward single emails

If you’re looking to share an important email with someone, you can follow these steps to manually forward emails in Gmail.

You can forward any email from your Gmail inbox to another email address, even if it’s not a Gmail address.

Important notes:

• All attachments from the original email will be forwarded automatically
• Recipients can see the original sender’s information
• For work/school accounts, some forwarding options may require approval from an administrator

Here’s how to forward emails in Gmail:

Forward emails on desktop

Step 1: Select your email

Locate the email you want to forward in your inbox and click to open it. Take a moment to review the message and ensure it’s the intended one.

Step 2: Click forward

Below the opened email’s contents, you’ll notice a Forward button with a small arrow pointing to the right. Click this button to start the forwarding process.

Note that you may need to scroll down to see it.

Alternatively, you can click the three dots (…) in the top-right corner and select “Forward” from the menu.

Step 3: Enter recipients

A new email window will appear with the original email’s content. 

In the “To” field, enter the email address of the person you want to forward to. 

For multiple recipients, separate email addresses with commas.

Step 4: Add your message (optional)

Want to add a personal note or context? Type your message above the forwarded content in the email body text field below the recipient’s email address field. 

This can be helpful for providing additional information to the recipient.

Step 5: Send your forward

Click the “Send” button to forward your email. You’ll see a confirmation notification when it’s sent.

If you wish to go back and confirm the message was sent successfully, you can go to your “Sent” folder.

Forward emails on mobile

Step 1: Open your email

Open the Gmail app on your mobile device then tap the email you want to forward. 

Ensure you’ve selected the correct message.

Step 2: Access forwarding option

Tap the three dots (…) in the top-right corner of the email to open the email options menu.

Note: You may see a second three dots (…) icon in the top-right corner of the screen, but you should click the three dots within the email itself.

Alternatively, you can click the Forward button below the email contents.

Step 3: Select forward

Tap “Forward” to begin the forwarding process. This will open the email in compose mode, with your forwarded message automatically added below the dashed lines.

Step 4: Add recipients

In the “Forward to” field, enter the email address(es) of the recipient(s). Click to confirm, then you’ll be given the option to add another recipient.

Step 5: Customize (optional)

You can optionally add your own message above the “Forwarded message” line if you’d like to provide context.

Step 6: Send

Tap the send icon (usually an arrow or paper airplane) in the top-right corner to forward your email.

2. How to auto-forward emails in Gmail

Want to automatically send the emails in your Gmail inbox to another email address?

You can accomplish this with auto-forwarding.

Important notes:

• All new incoming emails will be forwarded (except those deemed spam)
• Verification is required for security
• This method requires access to both email accounts
• Your changes may take a few minutes to take effect
• Forwarding is limited to one email address at a time (to forward to multiple addresses, use filters instead)

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set up automatic forwarding in Gmail:

Step 1: Access settings

Click the gear icon in the top-right corner of Gmail, then select “See all settings.”

Step 2: Find forwarding options

Click the “Forwarding and POP/IMAP” tab to access forwarding settings.

Step 3: Add forwarding address

Under “Forwarding,” click “Add a forwarding address.” A pop-up window will appear.

Step 4: Set up forwarding

Enter the email address where you want your Gmail messages forwarded. Double-check the address to ensure it’s correct, then click “Proceed” to confirm.

Step 5: Verify the address

Gmail will send a verification email to your forwarding address. Open the verification email and click the confirmation link.

Click “Confirm” to verify.

Step 6: Choose your options

Once verified, go back to the inbox where you started and finish configuring your forwarding settings.

Select “Forward a copy of incoming mail”, enter the email address, and select what should happen to the original emails:

1. Keep Gmail’s copy in the inbox (default)
2. Mark Gmail’s copy as read
3. Archive Gmail’s copy
4. Delete Gmail’s copy

Step 7: Save your settings

Scroll down and click “Save Changes” to activate automatic forwarding.

How to disable automatic email forwarding

Need to disable email forwarding? Here’s how:

1. Click the gear icon and select “See all settings.”
2. Go to the “Forwarding and POP/IMAP” tab.
3. Find your forwarding address(es) in the “Forwarding” section, then click “Remove” for any address you want to remove.
4. A window will pop up to confirm the active forward address removal. Click “Ok” to confirm.

Once forwarding is disabled, you’ll see a confirmation message at the bottom of the screen that confirms your changes were successful.

3. How to create an automatic forwarding filter in Gmail

Creating an automatic forwarding filter in Gmail allows you to forward specific incoming emails to another address automatically. 

Important notes:

• You can customize the forwarding rules
• Only the specified types of messages will be forwarded
• This method takes about 2-3 minutes to set up

Here’s how to set it up:

Step 1: Access settings 

Click the gear icon in the top right corner of Gmail and select “See all settings.”

Step 2: Create new filter

Navigate to the “Filters and Blocked Addresses” tab.

Click “Create a new filter”.

Step 3: Set your filter criteria

Specify your filter criteria based on:

• Sender email address
• Recipients
• Subject
• Keywords
• Other elements (attachments, size, etc)

For example, to forward all emails from a specific sender, enter their email address in the “From” field.

Click “Create filter” after setting your criteria.

Step 4: Set up forwarding

Check the box next to “Forward it to”.

Enter or select the desired forwarding address. Note: You must have previously added the address as a forwarding address to select it.

Optionally, you can also check  “Also apply filter to matching conversations” to include existing emails.

Step 5: Save and test

Click “Create filter” to save your settings.

It’s recommended to then send a test email that matches your criteria. That way you can check the forwarding address to ensure the filter was properly configured.

Managing your filters 

You can modify or delete filters anytime by returning to the “Filters and Blocked Addresses” tab in settings.

Examples of common filters for teams

Forward by Sender

• Customer emails → support team email address
• Invoice emails → accounting team email address
• Team updates → project group

Forward by Subject/Content

• Emails containing “urgent” → manager’s email address
• Messages with “invoice” → finance team email address
• Support tickets → help desk

Forward by Type

• Emails with attachments → storage address
• Newsletter updates → reading list
• Meeting invites → calendar manager

Benefits of Gmail forwarding

Gmail forwarding helps you manage your emails more efficiently.

Below are some of the unique benefits of Gmail forwarding:

• ✅ Streamline multiple inboxes: Unify all your email accounts under one master inbox. Access and manage all your emails in one centralized location, eliminating the need to switch between accounts.
• ✅ Seamless email collaboration for teams: Share important emails with team members instantly to keep everyone in sync. Forward relevant messages to keep projects moving forward.
• ✅ Efficient email sorting: Forward specific emails to designated labels to create an organized system. This simplifies your inboxes and makes searching a breeze.
• ✅ Backup important data: Create an extra layer of protection for crucial data by automatically sending copies of essential emails to a secondary account. Keep your important information safe and accessible even if your primary account experiences issues.

Frequently asked questions about forwarding Gmail messages

Increased email efficiency

You’ve seen how Gmail’s forwarding features can improve your email communications.

No matter which method you go with, you should now be completely set up to handle your email more efficiently.

For personal use, I find Gmail’s built-in forwarding options more than sufficient. But if you’re like me and run a business or customer support team, you might require more advanced features to streamline your workflows.

That’s exactly why I created Keeping.

Keeping is a simple and streamlined help desk that works right within Gmail, providing enhanced collaboration features including:

• Shared notes
• Collision detection
• Team assignment
• Email ticketing system

It upgrades the familiar Gmail interface you’re used to with additional tools for your support team.

Whether you stick to basic Gmail forwarding or enhance your inbox with our additional features, the key is finding the right setup for your personal needs.

Try Keeping free for 14 days to see how it can transform your team’s email management.