Guide · Catch-all email
Catch-all email: every address on your domain, in one inbox
A catch-all email address accepts mail sent to any address at a domain, so anything@yourdomain arrives without setting it up first. Mailfinity is a private catch-all inbox: point your own domain at it, or start free on a mailfinity.email subdomain with no domain at all.
What is a catch-all email address?
Normally a domain only accepts mail for the addresses that exist on it, and everything else bounces. With a catch-all, every address works: github@, shop-2025@ or a name you made up a second ago.
That makes a catch-all the easiest way to give every website its own address, without creating anything in advance.
How does catch-all email work?
Your domain's MX record says which server receives its mail. When that server is set to accept every address instead of a fixed list, you have a catch-all.
With Mailfinity you add three DNS records: one MX record that routes mail to Mailfinity and two TXT records that prove the domain is yours. If your domain already receives mail elsewhere, use a subdomain like mail.yourdomain.com so your existing mail keeps working.
Catch-all email without your own domain
Most catch-all setups need a domain and a mail host. Mailfinity doesn't: claim a free subdomain of mailfinity.email with a random name, like calm-otter-4821.mailfinity.email. It works the moment you claim it, catches mail to any address on it, and has no limit on addresses.
Does a catch-all attract spam? And who sold my email?
A catch-all can receive spam sent to random addresses, and every address that leaks keeps receiving mail. The fix is to see it per address and cut it off.
That is also how you find out who sold your email. Each address is meant for one company. When mail reaches it from a sender that never wrote to it before, Mailfinity flags it as an unfamiliar sender, so you know which company leaked it. Block that one address and everything sent to it is dropped on arrival.
Catch-all options compared
Where your catch-all mail ends up decides what you can do with it.
| Catch-all at your mail host | Forwarder (e.g. Cloudflare Email Routing, ImprovMX) | Mailfinity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Needs your own domain | Yes | Yes | No, or bring your own |
| Needs a mailbox somewhere | Yes, at your mail host | Yes, mail is forwarded to one | No, Mailfinity is the inbox |
| Mixed with your personal mail | Yes | Yes | No, kept apart |
| Shows which address leaked | No | No | Yes, flagged automatically |
| Block a single address | With a manual filter rule | With a rule per address | One click |
| Send mail from the domain | Yes | Depends on the service | Not yet, receive-only |
FAQ
What is a catch-all email address?
A catch-all accepts mail sent to any address at a domain, even addresses that were never created. Anything@yourdomain arrives in the same inbox.
Can I get a catch-all email without owning a domain?
Yes. Mailfinity gives you a free mailfinity.email subdomain with a random name. Every address on it reaches your inbox, with no DNS setup.
Will a catch-all break my existing email?
Not if you use a subdomain. If your domain already receives mail, set up the catch-all on something like mail.yourdomain.com and your current addresses keep working.
Does a catch-all email get more spam?
It can, because every address works. Mailfinity shows mail per address, flags senders an address has never seen, and lets you block any single address in one click.
How do I find out who sold my email with a catch-all?
Give each company its own address on your catch-all. When one of them gets mail from a stranger, that company leaked or sold it. Mailfinity flags it for you.
Can I send email from my domain with Mailfinity?
Not yet. Mailfinity only receives mail, for signups, login codes and newsletters. Keep your current provider for sending.
Is Mailfinity's catch-all free?
Yes, while Mailfinity is in beta, on your own domain or a mailfinity.email subdomain.
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