AliasFleet can place a short banner above forwarded mail, naming the alias the message came through. Only you see it: the banner is added to the copy that reaches your own destination inbox, never the copy seen by the sender or other recipients. Every alias can follow your account-wide banner default, or be set to always show or never show the banner on its own.
The banner goes on the forwarded copy of an email, the one landing in the destination inbox you control. It is a label for you, marking which alias each message came through. The original sender never sees it, and neither does anyone else who received the message.
What the banner shows#
What does the forwarding banner do?#
It is a short header that sits above the message body on the forwarded copy of an email, naming the alias the message arrived through: your shopping alias or newsletter alias, for instance. That label lets you place mail before you open it.
The banner's exact wording may shift as the product evolves, so this guide covers what it does rather than quoting it word for word. Sender, subject, and body arrive untouched; the banner sits apart from the sender's original content.
If you would rather trace the alias yourself than rely on the banner, How to Read an Email Header shows how to find it in the message headers by hand.
Changing the banner for one alias#
How do I change the banner setting for one alias?#
Head to the alias's Alias Settings dialog and choose one of three options in the Banner Override dropdown. That choice applies to this alias alone, overriding the account-wide default.
- Open your alias list and open Alias Settings for the alias you want to change (the dialog titled "Override global settings for this alias").
- Find the Banner Override row ("Override global banner") in the dialog.
- Pick one of the three settings described in the table below.
- Save your change.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Global | The alias follows your account-wide banner default. Every alias starts out on this setting. |
| Always show | Every email forwarded through this alias carries the banner, even when the global default is off. |
| Never show | The banner never appears on this alias's mail, even when the global default is on. |
On a busy alias that receives a lot of mail, Always show helps you place each message quickly. On a work alias where the extra header would get in the way of messages from colleagues, Never show keeps things clean. For everything else, Global is the simplest choice.
Changing the global default#
How do I change the global banner default?#
Set the default once in your account settings and it applies to every alias on Global. Aliases set to Always show or Never show keep their own behaviour and ignore the global default.
- Open Settings in your dashboard sidebar.
- Select Email Routing.
- Find Global Banner Settings and pick the default you want for all aliases. The panel holds the banner controls: a Show Banner toggle, Banner Location (Top of email), Show Original Sender, Show Deactivate Link, and a Custom Banner Text field.
- Save your change.
Aliases on Global switch to the new default right away. There is no waiting period, though you can confirm with a test email as described below.
Verifying the setting#
How do I check that my banner choice is working?#
Send a test email to the alias, then open the forwarded copy in your destination inbox and look for the banner above the message body. Change the setting, send another test, and confirm the banner shows up or disappears as expected.
Two details keep the test honest. First, open the forwarded copy in your destination inbox, not the message you originally sent; the banner only exists on the forwarded copy. Second, look at the very top of the message. Some mail clients and inbox rules collapse the top of an email and hide the banner.
Troubleshooting#
Why is the banner not showing when I expected it?#
Work through these checks in order:
- Check the alias's Banner Override setting. Set to Never show, no banner appears, whatever the global default says. Set to Global, the global default decides, so check that as well.
- Check which message you are reading. The banner only appears on the forwarded copy in your destination inbox. If you are looking at the message you sent or some other copy, there is nothing to find.
- Check the top of the message. Filters, collapsed threads, or mail client settings can push the banner out of view. Scroll right to the top.
Why is the banner showing when I set Never show?#
Again, check these in order:
- Confirm you changed the right alias. Similar-looking addresses are easy to mix up in a long list. Reopen the alias's Alias Settings dialog and make sure Banner Override reads Never show.
- Confirm you saved. A choice that was never saved leaves the old setting in place.
- Remember the precedence. Always show beats a global default of off, and Global inherits the global default. If the banner appears on an alias, that alias (or the default it follows) is set to show it.
- Check which alias the mail actually came through. If it arrived through a different alias than the one you changed, that other alias's setting applies. When the To field does not make it obvious, How to Read an Email Header shows how to trace which alias received a message.
Further reading#
- Understanding Forwarding - how mail travels from an alias to your destination inbox, and where the banner fits in.
- Reply from Aliases - replying to forwarded mail, including what the recipient sees.
- Email Forwarding vs Aliases - what an alias adds on top of plain forwarding.