How to forward gmail on SetMyMail?

📬 Gmail Forwarding ⏱ 3 Min Setup Updated: March 28, 2026 • By the SetMyMail Team

SetMyMail works by receiving a copy of your customer emails, summarising them with AI, and opening each one as a ticket. For this to happen, Gmail needs to forward a copy of each incoming email to your SetMyMail inbox address.

This guide walks you through the exact setup. It takes under 3 minutes, and you only do it once per Gmail address.

💡 Forwarding vs SMTP — what's the difference?
Forwarding is the inbound layer — it sends incoming emails to SetMyMail so the AI can read and summarise them.
SMTP is the outbound layer — it lets SetMyMail send replies from your Gmail address.
You need both. This guide covers forwarding. Once done, set up Gmail SMTP →

How It Works

📨Customer emails you@gmail.com
→
⚙️Gmail auto-forwards a copy
→
🤖SetMyMail receives & summarises
→
🎯It appears as a ticket in your inbox

Your original Gmail inbox is untouched — Gmail keeps a copy as normal. SetMyMail only sees what Gmail forwards to it. It cannot access your Gmail account, read old emails, or log in on your behalf.

Step-by-Step Setup

  1. 1
    Copy your SetMyMail inbox address

    In your SetMyMail dashboard, go to Linked Email Accounts and click + Link New Email. Copy the unique forwarding address shown (e.g. abc123@inbound.setmymail.com). You will paste this into Gmail in the next step.

    Open SetMyMail Dashboard →
  2. 2
    Open Gmail Forwarding Settings

    Sign in to Gmail. Click the gear icon (top right) → See all settings → open the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.

    Open Gmail Settings →
  3. 3
    Add your SetMyMail forwarding address

    Click "Add a forwarding address". Paste your SetMyMail inbound address (e.g. abc123@inbound.setmymail.com) → click Next → Proceed → OK.

    Open Gmail Settings →
  4. 4
    Confirm the verification email in SetMyMail

    Google sends a verification email to your SetMyMail address. Go to your SetMyMail dashboard → Inbox. Open the verification email from Google and click the confirmation link inside it.

    Open SetMyMail Dashboard →
  5. 5
    Enable forwarding and save

    Back in Gmail Settings → Forwarding tab, select "Forward a copy of incoming mail to [your SetMyMail address]". Choose what to do with the original (keep, archive, or delete). Click Save Changes.

    Open Gmail Settings →
  6. 6
    Link the Gmail address in SetMyMail dashboard

    Return to SetMyMail → Linked Email Accounts → enter your Gmail address (e.g. you@gmail.com) → click Save. SetMyMail now knows which email address incoming forwarded messages belong to.

    Open SetMyMail Dashboard →
✅ Success looks like: Customer emails start appearing in your SetMyMail inbox within seconds of arriving in Gmail. Each one arrives with an AI summary and a suggested reply.

Want to Forward Only Business Emails? Use a Gmail Filter

By default, Gmail's forwarding rule sends every incoming email to SetMyMail — including newsletters and personal messages. If you want only customer emails to reach SetMyMail, use a Gmail filter instead.

🔽 How to create a forwarding filter in Gmail
  1. In Gmail, go to Settings → See all settings → Filters and Blocked Addresses
  2. Click Create a new filter
  3. Set your condition — for example, From: @yourdomain.com, or a specific subject keyword
  4. Click Create filter → tick Forward it to → select your SetMyMail address
  5. Click Create filter to save

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Verification email never arrived in SetMyMail

Double-check that you copied your SetMyMail inbound address exactly — no extra spaces or missing characters. Then in Gmail's Forwarding settings, remove the address and add it again to trigger a fresh verification email. Verification emails usually arrive in SetMyMail within 30 seconds.

Emails are not appearing in SetMyMail after setup

Make sure you completed all three things: (1) added and verified the forwarding address in Gmail, (2) enabled forwarding and clicked Save Changes in Gmail, and (3) linked your Gmail address in the SetMyMail dashboard. All three must be done for emails to flow through correctly.

I use Google Workspace — is setup different?

The steps are identical for Google Workspace accounts. However, if your IT admin has disabled email forwarding at the domain level, you will need to ask them to allow it for your account. Alternatively, your admin can set up a routing rule at the domain level in the Google Admin Console under Apps → Google Workspace → Gmail → Routing.

⚠️ Important for Google Workspace admins: If users cannot add forwarding addresses, check Admin Console → Apps → Google Workspace → Gmail → End User Access and ensure "Allow per-user outbound gateways" is enabled.

Next Step: Set Up Gmail SMTP for Replies

Forwarding handles the inbound side — SetMyMail can now receive and summarise your customer emails. To complete the setup, connect Gmail SMTP so that SetMyMail can send replies from your Gmail address when you click Reply in the dashboard.

Set up Gmail SMTP (outbound replies) →

Related Setup Guides

📧 Gmail SMTP Setup Guide
Send AI replies from your Gmail address
💚 Brevo SMTP Setup Guide
Best for custom domain emails
🟠 ZeptoMail SMTP Setup Guide
High-volume transactional replies
🔵 Custom SMTP / cPanel Setup
Use your own hosting mail server

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Gmail forwarding send ALL my emails to SetMyMail, including personal ones?
Yes — Gmail's forwarding setting applies to all incoming mail by default. If you want to forward only customer-related emails, use Gmail Filters instead: create a filter (e.g. by label, sender domain, or subject keyword) and set the action to 'Forward to' your SetMyMail address. That way, personal emails stay in Gmail and only business emails go to SetMyMail.
Does SetMyMail store or read my entire Gmail inbox?
No. SetMyMail only receives emails that Gmail actively forwards to your SetMyMail inbound address. It has no access to your Gmail account, your past emails, or any messages you do not forward. SetMyMail cannot log in to Gmail — it only receives what Gmail pushes to it.
What happens to emails after they are forwarded?
Gmail keeps a copy in your inbox (or archives/deletes it, depending on what you chose in the forwarding setting). The forwarded copy arrives in your SetMyMail inbox where the AI summarises it and opens it as a ticket. Nothing is deleted from Gmail unless you explicitly choose that option.
Can I forward multiple Gmail addresses to SetMyMail?
Yes. Each Gmail address needs its own forwarding rule, and each gets its own unique SetMyMail inbound address. In the SetMyMail dashboard, link each Gmail address separately — SetMyMail handles them all independently with separate inboxes and SMTP credentials.
My verification email from Google never arrived in SetMyMail. What do I do?
Check that you copied the forwarding address exactly — no extra spaces or characters. Then in Gmail, remove the forwarding address and add it again to trigger a new verification email. If it still does not appear, check the SetMyMail inbox for a small delay (usually under 30 seconds). If you linked the Gmail address in SetMyMail before completing verification, the verification email may appear there.
Can I use a Gmail filter instead of full forwarding?
Absolutely — and it is actually the recommended approach for businesses. In Gmail, go to Settings → Filters and Blocked Addresses → Create a new filter. Set your condition (e.g. from a specific domain, or with a specific label), then choose 'Forward it to' your SetMyMail address. This keeps personal emails private and only routes relevant business mail to SetMyMail.