Email forwarders can be a handy tool, automatically sending incoming emails for a specific address to another location. But what if you no longer need a particular forwarder? This guide equips you with three methods to remove email forwarders you've created within your WebHostingM cPanel: the cPanel interface (GUI), the command line (CLI), and the WebHostingM API (UAPI).
Why Delete an Email Forwarder?
There are several reasons why you might want to delete an email forwarder:
- Cleaning Up: Perhaps you set up a temporary forwarder and no longer need it.
- Account Changes: If someone leaves the company or their role changes, you might want to remove their email forwarder.
- Security Concerns: Outdated forwarders can pose a security risk if they point to inactive accounts.
Before We Begin: A Backup Word
It's always a good practice to back up your website and email configuration before making significant changes in your cPanel environment. This ensures you can restore things quickly if needed.
1. Deleting via the cPanel GUI (Beginner-Friendly):
- Log in to cPanel: Access your WebHostingM account and log in to your cPanel interface.
- Locate "Email" Section: Navigate to the "Email" section within cPanel. The layout might vary slightly depending on your theme.
- Manage Forwarders: Click on "Email Accounts" followed by "Forwarders." This will display a list of your existing email forwarders.
- Identify the Forwarder: Locate the email forwarder you want to remove by looking at the email address or destination address.
- Click "Delete": Find the "Delete" icon or button next to the desired forwarder and click on it.
- Confirm Deletion: A confirmation window will appear. Click "Delete Forwarder" to finalize the process.
2. Deleting via UAPI (Intermediate - Advanced users):
The UAPI (User Interface API) allows you to manage your cPanel elements programmatically. This method is suitable for advanced users comfortable with the command line. Here's an example of deleting a forwarder for the email address "user@example.com":
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
uapi --output=jsonpretty Email delete_forwarder address='user@example.com' forwarder='fwdtome@example.com' |
This command deletes the forwarder for the email address "user@example.com" that forwards emails to "fwdtome@example.com". |
Remember: Replace "user@example.com" and "fwdtome@example.com" with the actual email addresses involved in the forwarder you want to delete.
2.1. Deleting Domain-Level Forwarders via UAPI (Advanced):
While the focus of this guide is on email account forwarders, UAPI can also remove domain-level forwarders, which redirect all emails for a domain. Here's the command for reference:
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
uapi --output=jsonpretty Email delete_domain_forwarder domain='example.com' |
This command deletes the domain-level forwarder for the specified domain ("example.com" in this case). |
3. Additional Considerations (Advanced):
There isn't a direct UAPI command to list all existing email account forwarders. If you're an advanced user and need to manage multiple forwarders through UAPI, you can explore alternative approaches by consulting the WebHostingM API documentation.
WebHostingM Support is Here to Help!
If you encounter any difficulties or prefer not to use the command line or UAPI, don't hesitate to contact WebHostingM's support team. We are happy to assist you with deleting domain forwarders in your cPanel account. You can submit a ticket for help.
We hope that by following these steps, you can effectively remove domain forwarders that are no longer needed. Remember to prioritize backups before making changes and choose the method that best suits your comfort level.
