# Keep your support address. Forward it to Aide.

Customers keep writing to the address they know. Every email lands in Aide, and replies go out from that same address once your domain is verified.

Add your support address in Aide, copy the forwarding address it gives you, and set Gmail, a Google Group or Microsoft 365 to forward mail there. Add the DNS records Aide lists so replies go out from your own address, or connect a Gmail inbox directly and skip forwarding.

Source: https://aide.app/guides/forward-support-email · Updated 2026-10-27 · By Ziyad Basheer

| | |
|---|---|
| Set up by | An Owner or Admin in Aide. Agents see who to ask. |
| Provider guides | Gmail, Google Workspace, Google Groups, Outlook, Microsoft 365 and others. |
| Gmail instead | Sign in with Google and skip forwarding. Replies send from Gmail. |
| Your own address | Three CNAME records, plus MX and TXT records on a send subdomain. |
| Delivery status | Sending, Sent, Delivered, or Failed to send with the reason. |
| Addresses | Several support addresses, each with its own forwarding address. Every plan. |

Your order emails, footer and returns page all point to support@yourstore.com, and that's where customers will keep writing. Forwarding keeps the address and moves the work: every email lands in Aide as a conversation, customer replies join the same thread, and once your domain is verified, replies go out from the same address.

If your team already works email in Zendesk, Gorgias or Front, you don't need any of this. Aide reads those tickets through the helpdesk connection; see [how to add AI to your helpdesk](https://aide.app/guides/add-ai-to-your-helpdesk).

## Connect your address

You need a login to the support mailbox (or manager rights on the Google Group) and, to send from your own address, access to your domain's DNS settings or someone who has it.

1. In Aide, go to Channels, then Email, and enter the support address and a sender name. Aide gives that address its own forwarding address to copy.
2. Set up forwarding at your mail provider, using the instructions below.
3. Press Send a test email. When it comes back through forwarding, the address shows as Connected. The first real customer email connects it too.
4. Add the DNS records Aide lists, so replies go out from your own address.


## Forwarding by provider

Each provider hides forwarding in a different place. Pick yours.

### Gmail and Google Workspace

1. Open Gmail on a computer, signed in as your support address.
2. Click the gear, then See all settings, then the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
3. Click Add a forwarding address, paste your Aide forwarding address, then click Next, Proceed and OK.
4. Gmail sends its confirmation to Aide, and the code shows up in Aide within a minute or two. Open the link, or enter the code in Gmail and click Verify.
5. Refresh Gmail, select Forward a copy of incoming mail to, pick your Aide address, and keep Gmail's copy in the Inbox.
6. Click Save Changes.

No option to add a forwarding address? On Google Workspace, an administrator can turn off automatic forwarding for the organisation. Ask them to allow it for this address.

### Google Groups

If your support address is a Google Workspace group, add Aide as a member instead:

1. Open groups.google.com as a group manager and pick the group.
2. Go to Members, then Add members, paste your Aide forwarding address, turn on Directly add members, and click Add members.
3. Set the new member's subscription to Each email, not a digest.
4. In Group settings, set Who can post to Anyone on the web, so customers outside your organisation can write in.
5. Under Spam message handling, choose Skip the moderation queue and post to the group.

Messages the group relays on behalf of your support address are still matched to the customer.

### Outlook and Microsoft 365

1. Open Outlook on the web, or the new Outlook app, signed in as your support address.
2. Select Settings, then Mail, then Forwarding (Forwarding and IMAP on Outlook.com).
3. Turn on Enable forwarding, paste your Aide forwarding address, select Keep a copy of forwarded messages, and save.

On classic Outlook for Windows, create a rule instead that redirects every message you receive to your Aide address. Many Microsoft 365 organisations block forwarding to outside addresses, shared mailboxes included; the FAQ below covers the fix.

### Other providers

Look for Forwarding in your provider's settings, sometimes under Rules or Filters, and forward every incoming email to your Aide address. Choose a normal forward or redirect, not "forward as attachment", so Aide can see who the customer is. If your provider asks the forwarding address to confirm, contact Aide support and we'll help you finish.

## Send from your own address

Until your domain is verified, replies go out from Aide's shared sending address with your sender name, and reply-to set to your support address. To send from the address itself, Aide lists the DNS records to add at your domain provider: three CNAME records that sign your email, plus an MX and a TXT record on a `send` subdomain, so bounces come back to Aide and SPF passes. Copy each value, add it, and press Check again. Each record shows its own status.

After that, every reply tells you where it is. The composer shows To (the customer) and From (your support address). A sent reply moves from Sending, to Sent once the email provider accepts it, to Delivered once the customer's mail server does. If delivery fails, the message is outlined in red with the reason, such as a mail server bouncing it because the address no longer exists.

## Or connect Gmail directly

If your support address is a Gmail or Google Workspace inbox, you can skip forwarding and sign in with Google from Email settings. On Google Workspace, an admin may need to allow Aide first.

- Mail arrives as it lands, and replies go out from your Gmail address, in the customer's thread, and show in your Sent folder. There's no domain to verify.
- A teammate who replies from the Gmail app shows in the Aide thread, and Aide stops replying to that conversation.
- Each workspace connects one Gmail inbox. An address you already forward switches over with its conversations and settings.

More on the [Gmail integration](https://aide.app/integrations/gmail).

## What lands in Aide

Each customer email starts a conversation with its attachments, and replies join the existing one. Bounces, out-of-office replies and auto-replies are ignored. Receipts and newsletters are filed by sender rules and closed under Automated, without a notification.

A new support address starts with your AI agent on it, but Aide replies only to the teammate who added it, so you can test by emailing it yourself. For every customer email, it writes a private draft. When you're ready, set the address's replies to Everyone. An address can also stay on drafts only, and a drafts-only address never acts on orders.

## Good to know

- Forwarding and Gmail start from when you connect. Older mail isn't imported.
- Free addresses such as Gmail.com can't be verified, so replies use Aide's shared sender.
- Aide receives and sends your mail. It doesn't host mailboxes.

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I forward a Google Group to an external address?

Add the external address as a member of the group, with its subscription set to Each email. For a support group, also set Who can post to Anyone on the web and let spam skip the moderation queue. Google sends no confirmation email for groups.

### Where do I find the Gmail forwarding confirmation code?

When you forward to Aide, Gmail's confirmation email goes to Aide, and the code and link show on Aide's Email settings page. Enter the code in Gmail and click Verify, or open the link.

### Can I forward a Microsoft 365 shared mailbox?

Yes, if your organisation allows forwarding to outside addresses. If the test email never arrives or bounces with "5.7.520 Access denied", your administrator can allow automatic forwarding for that mailbox in the outbound spam policy in Microsoft Defender.

### Will customers see a different address?

Not once your domain is verified. Before that, Aide's replies go out from a shared sending address with your sender name, and reply-to set to your support address, so customer replies still come back into the same conversation.

### What does Failed to send mean?

The reply couldn't be delivered, and Aide shows why, such as the provider refusing the email or the customer's mail server bouncing it. Temporary outages are retried automatically before a reply is marked failed.

## Related
- [Gmail](https://aide.app/integrations/gmail)
- [Filter automated email](https://aide.app/helpdesk/filter-automated-email)
- [Aide Helpdesk](https://aide.app/helpdesk)

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