A destination is a real email inbox, such as a Gmail or Outlook account, that receives mail forwarded from an AliasFleet alias. Every destination must be verified before use: the account holder proves control of the inbox, which prevents aliases from forwarding mail to addresses the user does not own. Each alias maps to exactly one destination, chosen when the alias is created.
Forwarding flow#
An alias is a forwarding address, not a mailbox. Mail addressed to it passes through four stages:
- Send to the alias. A sender, such as a shop or a newsletter, addresses mail to the alias (for example, shop@user.aliasfleet.me).
- Receive and check. AliasFleet receives the message on its mail servers and confirms the alias is active.
- Forward to the destination. The message is forwarded to the destination assigned to that alias (for example, name@gmail.com).
- Read in the inbox. The mail arrives in the destination inbox and appears like any other incoming message.
The alias address is the public contact point; the destination address stays hidden from senders, which keeps the real inbox address private. The mechanism is described in How Email Aliases Actually Work.
Destination examples#
A destination is any inbox the user controls. A common setup splits aliases across three inboxes:
- Personal inbox. A Gmail address such as name@gmail.com receives aliases used for shopping, newsletters, and app signups. Promotional mail lands in the personal inbox without the real address being handed to each service.
- Work inbox. A Microsoft 365 address such as name@company.com receives aliases for professional tools, vendor contact, and work accounts. Work mail stays separate from personal mail.
- Shared team inbox. A Google Workspace group such as support@company.com receives aliases for shared functions, such as vendor enquiries or a careers address. Several people can read mail that arrives there.
The alias to destination mapping:
| Alias | Destination | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| shop@user.aliasfleet.me | name@gmail.com (Gmail) | Shopping and newsletters |
| tools@user.aliasfleet.me | name@company.com (Microsoft 365) | Work software accounts |
| vendors@user.aliasfleet.me | support@company.com (Google Workspace group) | Vendor contact for the team |
The mapping can be changed later from the alias settings. New destinations are added from the Destinations page, as described in Adding a destination.
Primary destination#
The primary destination is the default inbox that new aliases forward to. It applies when no destination is chosen during alias creation, so aliases created quickly still land in the intended inbox. The primary destination can be changed at any time; the steps are in Setting a default destination.
Destination verification#
Verification proves the user controls the inbox before any mail is forwarded to it. Without it, someone could create aliases that forward mail to an address belonging to another person.
The check runs once per destination (see Verifying a destination).
An unverified destination cannot receive forwarded mail. Aliases mapped to it hold their mail until the destination is verified.
Testing a destination#
A destination is working when it shows as verified and is assigned to at least one active alias. A test message sent to that alias should arrive in the destination inbox like any other mail.
If the test mail does not arrive:
- Check that the destination is verified. Unverified destinations receive nothing.
- Check that the alias is active and mapped to the intended destination.
- Check the destination inbox's spam or junk folder.
Replies from an alias#
Replies use the alias address rather than the destination address, so the real inbox address is not exposed to the recipient. Reply behaviour is covered in Replying from an alias.