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Catch-all addresses, auto-replies and signatures

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The quick version

  • A catch-all takes mail sent to any address on your domain.
  • An auto-reply answers for you while you're away.
  • A signature is text added to the end of your messages.

Catch-all addresses

A catch-all is a rule for mail that matches nothing else. Cloudflare's version forwards every email sent to your domain, including misspelled local parts, to a single destination.[1]

Three addresses at example.com on the left. info@example.com has its own rule. ifno@example.com, a typo, and anything@example.com are caught by the catch-all. All of them lead to one inbox on the right.
A catch-all picks up mail that no other rule matches.

Cloudflare gives an example. You make a rule for [email protected]. A sender mistypes it as [email protected]. With the catch-all on, the message is still handled.[1]

That is the good side. The other side is that a catch-all takes in mail for every address, including ones nobody meant to use. Decide who will read it, and look at it now and then.

Not every provider offers a catch-all. Some call it by another name, so look in your control panel.

Auto-replies

An auto-reply (some call it an "out of office" message) sends a set answer when mail arrives. It's good for holidays and sick days.

A line with a highlighted stretch between Start and End labelled automatic reply is on. Below: set both times so it turns itself off.
Give an automatic reply a start and an end.

Three tips from Microsoft's Outlook help:

  • Set a start and an end time. With no time period, the reply stays on until you turn it off.[2]
  • Think about who gets it. If you turn on replies outside your organization, Outlook sends them to every email you receive, including newsletters, advertisements and possibly junk.[2] Microsoft suggests sending outside replies only to your contacts.
  • Check your account type. In Outlook, automatic replies aren't supported for Gmail, Yahoo or other POP or IMAP accounts.[2] If yours is one of those, check your provider's own help pages for how to set a reply.

Keep the message short. Say you're away, until when, and who to contact instead.

Signatures

A signature sits at the bottom of every message. It usually holds your name, role and a way to reach you.

Outlook lets you keep several signatures for different purposes.[3] A signature can hold text, links, pictures and images.[3] A plain one is easiest to read on a phone. Use example.com style details only while you practice, and your real ones in your own account.

Set the signature in each mail app you use. A phone app often has its own setting.

What's next

People change jobs. See what to do with their mailboxes in when staff leave or roles change.

Sources

  1. Email routing rules and addresses, Cloudflare Docs (accessed 2026-11-03)
  2. How to set up out of office automatic replies in Outlook, Microsoft Support (accessed 2026-11-03)
  3. How to add and change an email signature in Outlook, Microsoft Support (accessed 2026-11-03)