Catch-all: meaning and use
Catch-all: the meaning
With a catch-all, mail sent to, say, sales@yourbusiness.com or a mistyped address still ends up in one central mailbox. So you don't have to create a separate mailbox or alias for every conceivable address.
Explanation
That's handy if you want to be sure you don't miss anything, for example with incorrectly typed addresses. The downside: a catch-all also catches a lot of spam, because spammers often guess at random addresses. For most self-employed people, a few targeted aliases work more calmly, but in some cases a catch-all is exactly what you need. You can read more background in catch-all email explained.
Example
A customer accidentally types yuo@yourbusiness.com instead of you@yourbusiness.com. Without a catch-all, that mail bounces. With a catch-all, the message still arrives neatly in your central mailbox, and you don't miss the question.
When do you choose a catch-all?
A catch-all suits anyone who doesn't want to miss a single message, for example if customers often type addresses incorrectly or if you communicate many changing addresses. The downside weighs heavier once spammers discover your domain, because then a lot of unwanted mail also flows in. A middle ground is to use a few fixed aliases for the addresses you really need, and to deploy the catch-all only temporarily or in a targeted way. That way you keep an overview without missing anything.
Related terms
Want to set one up? Setting up a catch-all walks you calmly through the steps.