Mail forwarding in Gmail automatically sends incoming messages to another email address. This feature helps manage multiple accounts or ensure important emails aren't missed.
When you set up forwarding, Gmail copies incoming emails and sends them to your chosen destination address. The original message remains in your Gmail inbox unless you also set up filtering rules.
Common reasons include managing multiple accounts, monitoring important communications while traveling, or consolidating personal and professional emails. According to Google Workspace support, forwarding is one of the most frequently used Gmail features among business users.
Many users confuse forwarding with delegation. Forwarding creates copies of emails, while delegation gives others access to your account. Unlike delegation, forwarding doesn't allow the recipient to send emails as you.
Pro tip: You can set up temporary forwarding while on vacation, then disable it later. I did this during a recent trip and had all my work emails forwarded to my personal account so I could monitor them without checking multiple inboxes.