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Forwarding FAQ

Below are some frequently asked questions about email forwarding.

What is an email forwarding address?
An email forwarding address (e.g. name@alumni.harvard.edu) will automatically forward mail to a designated email address. An email forwarding address is not an email account and does not have an email inbox.

Who is eligible for an email forwarding address?
On May 25, 2021, the functionality to create new email forwarding addresses will be turned off. This means that any alumni, including graduating students, who don’t currently have an email forwarding address will be unable to set up an email forwarding address at any time in the future.

Alumni who currently have an email forwarding address may continue to retain their email forwarding. There is no immediate impact to current forwarding addresses.

How do I manage my email forwarding preferences?
To manage your email forwarding preferences, you will first need to register for a HarvardKey login name and password, if you have not already done so. Once you have a HarvardKey login name and password, you can set up your email address using the steps below:

  • Log in to the alumni.harvard.edu community using your HarvardKey.
  • Click the Email Forwarding link in the left-hand navigation.
  • Follow the prompts on the email forwarding page.
  • Click "Save."

After taking these steps, it will take about 2-3 hours for your changes to become active.

I already have a post.harvard email forwarding address. How is that different from an alumni.harvard address, and how do I get an alumni.harvard email address?
The post.harvard email address and the alumni.harvard email address are both email forwarding addresses. Both forwarding addresses have all the same functions and features. Those with an @post.harvard.edu forwarding address who wish to switch to an @alumni.harvard.edu email address may do so, but please note that this is a one-time change and cannot be reversed.

How do I change my post.harvard email forwarding address to an alumni.harvard email forwarding address?
To make the one-time change from an @post.harvard.edu email forwarding address to an @alumni.harvard.edu email forwarding address, you will first need to register for a HarvardKey login name and password, if you have not already done so. Once you have a HarvardKey login name and password, you can migrate your email using the steps below:

  • Login to the alumni.harvard.edu community using your HarvardKey.
  • Click on the Email Forwarding link in the left-hand navigation.
  • Click on the link that says, "Change my forwarding address so it ends in @alumni.harvard.edu."
  • If you are sure you want to change your forwarding address, click the "Migrate my address" button in the pop up.
  • Click "Save."

Please note that this action is a one-time change and cannot be undone. Please alert your contacts that your forwarding address will be changing, as your post.harvard address will become inactive once you migrate to an alumni.harvard address.

After taking these steps, it will take about 2-3 hours for your alumni.harvard email forwarding address to become active.

How can I check to see what my email forwarding address is, or where it is forwarding?
The Email Forwarding page on the alumni.harvard.edu community allows you to view and change your email forwarding address and the address where it is forwarding. You will need your HarvardKey username and password in order to access the Email Forwarding page.

Can I choose my email forwarding address?
Yes. You can choose any email forwarding address @alumni.harvard.edu, subject to availability. The mail name (the part of the address before the @ sign) must be at least 3 characters long, and can only contain letters, numbers, periods (.), hyphens (-) and underscores (_). We can't guarantee the availability of any particular address ahead of time, so please confirm that the address you want is available before you distribute it to your contacts.

Can I change my email forwarding address after I have set it up?
Yes. Email forwarding addresses can be changed on the alumni.harvard Email Forwarding page. Please note that if you change your email forwarding address, your previous address will be deactivated, and messages sent to the previous address will not be delivered.

Can I check my email forwarding address through the website?
No. Your alumni.harvard email address is a forwarding service, not a stand-alone email account. This means that you must set your alumni.harvard address to forward to another address in order to receive mail. You will automatically receive any messages sent to your alumni.harvard email address at the address where mail is being forwarded.

Can I send outgoing mail using my email forwarding address?
No. This service is an email forwarding service, not a stand-alone account. There is no email inbox and no way to send messages using this email alias.

Can I configure my email account to send as my email forwarding address?
By default, your outgoing mail will display the email address to which your name@post.harvard.edu or name@alumni.harvard.edu address is forwarding. It may be possible to configure your email account to display your forwarding address on outgoing messages. Because, each email provider (Gmail, Yahoo!, etc.) has different functionality available as well as different instructions, the alumni service desk will not be able to support configuring your email forwarding address with your email account.

In turn, we discourage the use of the Send From or Send As feature. Many email providers see scammers use this method to send phishing attacks and spam. The email providers often reject email messages sent with Send From or Send As alias. It’s important to know that your message may not reach your intended recipient if you do use the feature.

Can I set up more than one email forwarding address, or have my address forward to more than one destination?
No. You can only set up one alumni.harvard email address (even if you have multiple degrees from Harvard). Additionally, an alumni.harvard address only forwards to one address.

Does an email forwarding address enable me to receive mail through my old Harvard student email address?
No. An email forwarding address is not connected to other Harvard addresses, such as student email addresses. After a student email address expires, messages sent to that address are returned as undeliverable, regardless of whether an email forwarding address has been set up. Please consult your school's IT office if you need more information on the expiration of student email addresses.

I am not receiving messages sent to my email forwarding address, or messages sent to my email forwarding address are bouncing back. Why?
See the forwarding problems help page for some possible causes.

Is it possible to recover messages that were previously sent to my email forwarding address?
No. The email forwarding mail servers do not store the text of messages after they have been forwarded.

Do email forwarding addresses offer any protection from spam or viruses?
All messages sent to email forwarding addresses are automatically scanned for viruses. Harvard also uses several spam-protection techniques. Please see the spam help page for more information.

I have questions or problems regarding my HBS, HKS or HLS alumni email address.
These email addresses are managed by the alumni offices of each school. Please see our links and contacts page for information on how to contact school alumni offices.

Still need help? Contact the AAD Service Desk. Please include as many details about your question or problem as possible.