Alias permission mode is an account-wide setting that decides which of your verified destinations can reply or send email from your aliases. In Strict mode, only the destination linked to an alias can use it for outbound mail. In Open mode, any verified destination with reply or send enabled can use it. It never affects incoming forwarded mail.
You need an AliasFleet account with at least one verified destination. Permission mode only comes into play when you reply or send from an alias, so the destination you use also needs Can Reply or Can Send switched on. If you never reply or send from an alias, this setting will not change anything for you.
What does alias permission mode control?#
Permission mode covers outbound mail only: replies to forwarded messages and new messages sent from an alias. It sets which of your destinations may put an alias in the from line.
It leaves incoming mail alone. Forwarding into your destinations keeps working in either mode, provided the alias is active. It also does not turn reply or send on by itself. A destination still needs Can Reply or Can Send switched on before it can use an alias at all. Permission mode is the second check: when a destination tries to reply or send, the mode decides whether that destination may use that alias.
For the reply and send steps themselves, see replying from an alias and sending new mail from an alias.
How do I change the permission mode?#
You set the mode once for your whole account. It covers every alias you own, not one alias at a time.
- Open Settings. In the dashboard, go to Settings.
- Select the Aliases tab. You will find the permission setting alongside the other alias settings.
- Find the Alias Permission Mode card. It shows the mode your account uses at present.
- Choose Strict Mode or Open Mode. Pick the mode that fits how you use your destinations.
The change covers all of your aliases. There is no per-alias override, so read the examples below before you switch if you use more than one destination.
What is the difference between Strict and Open mode?#
In Strict mode, each alias stays tied to its linked destination. In Open mode, any verified destination with the right toggles can use any alias. The table sums it up.
| Mode | Who can reply or send from an alias | What happens to other destinations |
|---|---|---|
| Strict | Only the destination linked to that alias | Blocked from replying or sending through that alias, even with Can Reply or Can Send on |
| Open | Any verified destination with Can Reply or Can Send on | Allowed to reply or send through the alias |
Under Strict, the link between alias and destination is what gives access. A destination that is not linked to the alias gets its reply or send blocked. Under Open, the link makes no difference to outbound mail: any verified destination with the matching toggle switched on can use the alias.
Which mode should I use?#
Strict fits most people, because most aliases belong to one inbox. Open fits accounts where one alias is genuinely used from more than one destination.
Example: one alias, one inbox (Strict). Say you hand an online store a shopping alias linked to your personal inbox. You only ever answer that store from your personal inbox. Strict is the right fit here: no other destination on your account can reply or send through that shopping alias, even by mistake. If a second destination ever tries, the attempt gets blocked.
Example: one alias, several inboxes (Open). Say you run a small shop and you and a colleague both answer mail that lands at the same shop alias, each from your own verified destination. Strict would block one of you. Open lets either verified destination reply or send through the alias, provided each destination has Can Reply or Can Send switched on. That flexibility is the whole point of Open.
Example: a work alias and a personal alias on one account. Say your work alias is linked to your work inbox and your personal alias is linked to your personal inbox. Under Strict, each alias only works from its own inbox, which keeps the two apart. Under Open, either inbox could reply through either alias, so a work reply could go out from a personal alias if you pick the wrong from address. If keeping work and personal mail apart matters to you, stay on Strict.
If you are unsure, start with Strict. It is the safer default, and you can move to Open later if you get blocked when a second destination genuinely needs to use an alias. For everyday alias habits, see how to use email aliases.
How do I check the mode is working?#
First, confirm the setting itself. Open Settings, pick the Aliases tab, and check that the Alias Permission Mode card shows the mode you chose.
Then test with a real reply. Answer a forwarded message from the destination you expect to work, and confirm the reply arrives showing the alias as the sender. Under Strict, run the second test only if you have another destination you expect to be blocked: a reply from that destination through the same alias should not go out. Do not run that second test from a destination that needs to reach the sender urgently. Use a low-stakes message.
Why was my reply or send blocked?#
A blocked reply or send usually comes down to one of four causes. Go through them in order.
- Can Reply or Can Send is off. Permission mode cannot allow a destination that has the feature switched off. Open replying from an alias or sending new mail from an alias and check the toggle for the destination you are using.
- Strict mode is blocking the destination. Under Strict, only the destination linked to the alias can use it. Either reply from the linked destination, or move the account to Open if you need several destinations to use the alias.
- You started a new message instead of replying. Replies go through the alias when you answer the forwarded message. A fresh compose counts as a new send, which needs Can Send plus the right permission mode for that destination.
- The alias is not active. Permission mode only affects outbound mail from active aliases. If the alias is paused or removed, outbound mail through it will not go out in either mode.
If you change the mode to fix a block, try the reply or send again after the change. If it still fails, recheck the toggles above before blaming the mode.