Is it possible to create a mail forwarding without leaving a copy of messages in the original mailbox in Plesk?

Atif Bangash

Updated April 02, 2026 08:25

kb: how-to Plesk for Linux ABT: Group A

Applicable to:

Plesk Obsidian for Linux
Plesk for Linux

Question

Is it possible to create a mail forwarding without leaving a copy of all messages in the original mailbox?

Is it possible to create a forwarding rule for a non-existing email address?

Answer

This feature was implemented starting with Plesk Obsidian 18.0.37.

Log into Plesk
Go to Plesk > Domains > example.com > Mail > john.doe@example.com open the Forwarding tab and select the checkbox Do not deliver copies of forwarded emails to the Plesk mailbox (disabled by default)

Workaround

As a workaround, this functionality can be achieved by configuring filter rules in webmail:

Log into Plesk
Go to Plesk > Domains > example.com > Email Addresses > john.doe@example.com > open webmail icon.
Or just login to webmail directly by accessing webmail.example.com in your web browser:

Roundcube:
Settings > Filters > New Filter > name filter > All Messages > Discard Message > Save.
Horde:
Mail > Filters > New Rule > name filter > All of the following > To / Contains / example.com > Delete Message completely > Save.

Note: If mailbox on the server will not be used at all, it is possible to disable it in Domains > example.com > Mail Accounts > john.doe@example.com > Mailbox - uncheck.

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