Creating and Managing Mailboxes

What a mailbox is

A mailbox is a real email address on one of your verified domains — for example hello@yourcompany.com. Unlike an alias (which just forwards), a mailbox can both send and receive, has its own display name, its own storage quota, and appears as an identity in your shared Inbox. Every inbound message routes to a mailbox, and every reply you send goes out from one.

Before you start

A mailbox can only be created on a verified (active) domain. If your domain still shows pending or verifying, finish Verifying your sending domain first.

Step 1 — Create a mailbox

1. Open StretchMail → Mailboxes.
2. Click New mailbox.
3. Fill in the details:
- Email address — the full address, e.g. hello@yourcompany.com. The domain part must be one you've verified.
- Display name — the friendly "From" name recipients see, e.g. Acme Support.
- Quota — storage in megabytes. The default is 1024 MB (1 GB); raise it for high-volume shared inboxes.
- Inbound / Outbound — whether the mailbox can receive and/or send. Both are on by default.
4. Save. The mailbox appears with status active and is ready to use immediately.

Step 2 — Review your mailboxes

The Mailboxes tab lists every address with its domain, display name, type, status, quota, and an alias count — the number of aliases pointing at that mailbox. Use it to see, at a glance, which addresses are live and how much forwarding is attached to each.

Step 3 — Use the mailbox

Once created, the mailbox:

• Receives inbound mail into the shared Inbox (see Using the shared team inbox).
• Sends replies through the governed send route, going out under your verified domain.
• Acts as an identity for aliases that forward to it.

Worked example

Riverbend Studio sets up two mailboxes on riverbendstudio.com:

1. hello@riverbendstudio.com, display name Riverbend Studio, quota left at the 1024 MB default — the general shared inbox.
2. beau@riverbendstudio.com, display name Beau at Riverbend, for personal client conversations.

They then create a bookings@ alias that forwards into hello@, so booking emails land in the shared inbox without needing a third mailbox. The Mailboxes tab shows hello@ with an alias count of 1.

Tips

• Use one shared mailbox for team addresses. Point support@, sales@, and info@ aliases at a single hello@ mailbox so the whole team triages from one Inbox.
• Set the display name deliberately. It's the name recipients see in their inbox — keep it consistent with your brand.
• Raise the quota for busy inboxes. The 1 GB default is plenty for most, but heavy inbound volume with attachments fills up faster.
• Turn off outbound on receive-only addresses. If a mailbox should only collect mail (e.g. noreply-inbound@), disable outbound to prevent accidental sends.

FAQ

Can I create a mailbox on an unverified domain?
No. The domain must be active first. This is what keeps your sending trusted.

What's the difference between a mailbox and an alias?
A mailbox is a real inbox that stores mail and can send. An alias is just an address that routes to a mailbox or forwards to another address — it has no storage of its own. See Setting up aliases and forwarding.

How many mailboxes can I create?
As many as your plan allows on your verified domains. Each is independent, with its own quota and settings.

Troubleshooting

• Can't create the mailbox. The domain part isn't verified, or the address already exists. Check Domains and the existing Mailboxes list.
• Mail isn't arriving. Inbound needs the domain's MX record live and the mailbox's inbound switch on. Confirm both.
• Replies aren't going out. The mailbox's outbound switch may be off, or sending isn't enabled yet on your workspace — check the Engine card on the Dashboard.