# Proton Mail forwarding: setup, cost and encryption

> Set up Proton Mail auto-forwarding: which plan you need, how to add a rule and accept the request, and what forwarding outside Proton does to encryption.

Updated: 2026-11-02 · Fact-checked: 2026-11-02 · Canonical: https://commandmail.app/en/guides/proton-mail-forwarding · Deutsch: https://commandmail.app/de/anleitungen/proton-mail-weiterleitung-einrichten.md

This guide covers whether you can auto-forward Proton Mail, what it costs, how to set up a forwarding rule and what forwarding does to encryption. Short version: auto-forwarding is part of Proton's paid Mail plans, you create it under Settings → All settings, and the destination has to accept it[^1]. If you forward to an address outside Proton, end-to-end encryption stops for the address you forward[^1][^4].

Command Mail is our product and appears here as one possible destination. The Proton steps follow Proton's English support article as of November 2, 2026[^1]; this guide doesn't claim a run-through with a real Proton account.

## The short answer

1. Proton offers email forwarding with Mail Plus, Proton Unlimited and all other paid Proton Mail plans, not with Proton Free[^1][^2].
2. Under Settings → All settings → Forward and auto-reply you add a forwarding rule, pick where mail comes from and where it goes, and send a confirmation email[^1].
3. Forwarding becomes active once the destination accepts the request[^1].
4. Forwarding to Proton addresses stays end-to-end encrypted; forwarding to non-Proton addresses turns that encryption off for the address involved[^1][^4].

## Is Proton Mail forwarding free?

No. Automatic forwarding is a paid feature at Proton. The support article names Mail Plus, Proton Unlimited and all other paid Proton Mail plans[^1]. In the plan comparison on Proton's pricing page, "Automatic forwarding" is listed for Mail Plus and Unlimited and not for Proton Free[^2].

On November 2, 2026, the pricing page listed Mail Plus at $4.99 a month billed monthly, or $3.99 a month on the 12-month plan, which is $47.88 a year[^2]. Proton Unlimited was $12.99 a month, or $9.99 a month on the 12-month plan ($119.88)[^2]. Prices on that page can be switched to other currencies[^2].

Forwarding has been tied to paid plans since launch: Proton's announcement from December 2023 introduced it for anyone with a paid Proton Mail subscription[^4].

## What happens to encryption when you forward?

The destination decides what happens to encryption. Forwarding to another Proton Mail address keeps end-to-end encryption[^1]. Proton does this with proxy re-encryption: its servers convert the message for the new recipient without being able to decrypt it[^4].

Forwarding to an address outside Proton, such as Gmail or Outlook, turns end-to-end encryption off. The support article says this applies to all emails to and from the forwarding address[^1]. The 2023 announcement says it applies to all emails to the address you forward from[^4]. Both say your other Proton addresses aren't affected[^1][^4].

Proton says you can turn end-to-end encryption back on once you stop forwarding to a non-Proton address, and recommends that organizations use a dedicated address for forwarding outside Proton[^4]. Mail from non-Proton senders isn't end-to-end encrypted in the first place; Proton stores it with zero-access encryption[^1].

In practice, the destination ends up holding a copy under its own provider's terms. Decide whether that's acceptable for the address before you set anything up.

## What you need

You need a Proton account on a paid Mail plan and access to the destination mailbox[^1]. Proton describes the setup in the account settings, and its July 2026 guide starts by signing in to Proton Mail in your web browser[^1][^3].

You need the destination mailbox because Proton sends an invitation there that has to be accepted before anything is forwarded[^1].

## How to set up forwarding in Proton Mail

Steps and labels follow Proton's support article[^1].

1. Sign in to your Proton account and select Settings (gear icon) → All settings[^1].
2. Select Forward and auto-reply from the sidebar, then click Add forwarding rule.
3. In the Forward to field, enter the address that should receive your mail.
4. If you have several addresses, open the Forward from dropdown and pick the one to forward from.
5. To forward all new mail, click Next without adding a condition.
6. Click Send confirmation email.
7. Accept the request in the destination mailbox, as described in the next section.

Proton's 2023 announcement calls the settings section "Forwarding and auto-reply"[^4]. If your account shows a slightly different label, look for either name.

Forwarding covers new messages. Emails already stored in your mailbox aren't transferred, according to Proton[^3].

## Accepting the forwarding request

Forwarding is only activated once the recipient confirms the request, which arrives as an email invitation[^1]. How you accept depends on the destination.

- **Non-Proton address:** click Accept forwarding in the invitation email[^1].
- **Proton address:** click Go to settings in the invitation, or go to Settings → All settings → Forward and auto-reply yourself, then click Accept under Actions. Proton may ask for your password[^1].

## Forward only some emails with conditions

Proton can forward a subset of your mail. While creating the rule, click Add condition instead of Next, choose options from the dropdown menus under If, and enter a keyword[^1]. You can add more than one condition, then click Save[^1].

Proton's own example is "If the subject contains vacation", which forwards only messages with "vacation" in the subject[^1]. The criteria Proton lists are subject, sender and attachments, including with or without attachments[^3][^4].

To change conditions later, open the rule's three-dot menu and choose Edit conditions[^1].

## Forwarded emails can't be forwarded again

Proton states that emails forwarded to you can't be forwarded again[^1]. When your active rule excludes messages for that reason, a yellow triangle appears in the Forward emails → To column[^1].

The article doesn't say explicitly whether this also covers mail that another provider, such as Gmail, forwards into your Proton inbox[^1]. If you chain forwards, for example Gmail → Proton → somewhere else, send a test message to the first address, check that it reaches the end, and watch for the yellow triangle.

## Pause or stop Proton Mail forwarding

Each rule is managed under Settings → All settings → Forward and auto-reply, through the three dots under Actions[^1]:

- Pause stops forwarding temporarily.
- Delete stops forwarding permanently and removes the rule.
- Edit conditions changes which messages are forwarded.

The receiving side can opt out too. For a non-Proton destination, it clicks Decline forwarding in the original invitation email; for a Proton destination, it deletes the rule in its own settings[^1].

## What you can do on Proton Free

Proton Free doesn't include automatic forwarding[^1][^2]. The plan comparison also lists email client support over IMAP/SMTP only for paid plans[^2]. Proton Mail Bridge, the desktop app that connects Outlook, Thunderbird or Apple Mail to Proton, is available only with a paid plan that includes Proton Mail[^5].

The Proton Mail Export Tool is free. Proton says it's available for everyone and exports your decrypted emails and their metadata to your device as EML and JSON files[^6]. That's a one-time backup, not a way to get new mail delivered somewhere else.

## Moving old emails

Forwarding only sends new mail; what's already in your mailbox stays there[^3]. For older mail, use the Export Tool[^6].

1. Download the tool for Windows, macOS or Linux and extract it[^6].
2. Run "proton-mail-export-cli" and sign in with your username, password and, if enabled, your 2FA code[^6].
3. Choose Backup and the export location; the tool shows "Export finished" when it's done[^6].

Proton says the EML files can then be imported into email clients such as Thunderbird or Outlook[^6]. Leave enough time: an export can't be paused and can take from a few minutes to several hours for larger mailboxes[^6].

## Forward Proton Mail to Command Mail

Command Mail brings several of your own addresses into one inbox, where your AI agent works with the permissions you grant[^8][^9]. Mail arrives there by forwarding, and every connected address gets its own private intake address[^8]. That's why Proton needs a paid Mail plan here.

The encryption section applies before you start: Command Mail is outside Proton, so end-to-end encryption ends for the forwarded address[^1]. Command Mail is operated by FYN Labs LLC in the United States. The privacy policy names US-based Cloudflare, Inc. as the hosting and database provider; attachments are stored in Cloudflare's EU jurisdiction[^10]. The privacy policy bases transfers to the US on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework where the recipient is certified, and on the European Commission's standard contractual clauses otherwise[^10].

1. Connect your Proton address in Command Mail[^8]. During first-time setup, enter your address on "Connect a mailbox" and click "Connect". The "Set up forwarding" page shows your private intake address under "Forward to" with a "Copy" button. To add more addresses later, go to Settings → Connections, use "Connect a mailbox" and copy the intake address next to the connected address.
2. In Proton, add a forwarding rule, paste the intake address into Forward to, choose your address under Forward from, click Next without a condition, then Send confirmation email[^1].
3. Proton's invitation goes to your private intake address[^1]. Open it in your Command Mail inbox and click Accept forwarding[^1].
4. Then send a test message from another account to the forwarded address and check that it arrives in Command Mail.

Step 4 matters because, according to the app code, Command Mail only excludes Google's confirmation email from counting as received mail. The forwarding invitation lands in your inbox like any other message, so it can set "Last mail" before forwarding actually works.

Forward to Command Mail without conditions. With conditions, Proton forwards only matching mail[^1], and your agent never sees the rest. If you have several Proton addresses, connect each one in Command Mail and add one Proton rule per address with its own intake address; Proton ties each rule to the address chosen under Forward from[^1].

If your agent has the `mailboxes` permission, it can connect the address itself and tell you the intake address[^8]. The setup guidance Command Mail gives the agent covers Gmail, Outlook.com and custom domains according to the app code, but not Proton, so do the Proton step yourself with this guide.

Forwarding delivers copies. What you or your agent sort, archive or read in Command Mail doesn't change your Proton mailbox[^8]. Free covers one address, the last 90 days and no sending[^9]. Sending starts with Pro, which the plan overview lists at €19 a month for the first 100 paying Pro accounts for as long as their subscription runs, and €29 after that[^9].

### Sending replies from Command Mail

Sending is set up separately for each sender address[^8]. According to the app, there are two ways: through your provider's outgoing server or through Command Mail itself. According to the app code, Command Mail doesn't pre-fill an outgoing server for Proton addresses.

**Address on proton.me or another Proton domain.** Proton's SMTP for third-party apps is available only on paid plans and only for custom domain addresses[^7]. For these addresses, sending goes through Command Mail: according to the app, recipients see a Command Mail address with your name, and their replies go to your Proton address and come back through your forwarding. To confirm, Command Mail sends a six-digit code to your address, which also arrives through forwarding.

**Custom domain at Proton.** On a paid plan, generate a token for the address under Settings → All settings → IMAP/SMTP → SMTP tokens[^7]. In Command Mail, enter the server smtp.protonmail.ch on port 587, the address as username and the token as password; Proton lists STARTTLS for the connection[^7]. According to the app, Command Mail signs in once to check the details and sends nothing. Proton notes that mail sent over SMTP isn't end-to-end encrypted and shows up in your Proton Sent folder[^7].

### Importing older Proton emails

Command Mail imports MBOX and EML exports once through the CLI, without ongoing sync[^8]. Export with the Proton Mail Export Tool first[^6]. According to the app code, the CLI reads a folder including its subfolders and only picks up files ending in .eml or .mbox, so the export's JSON files are left alone. Check first with `commandmail import <folder> --mailbox you@proton.me --dry-run`; the CLI reports how many messages it found without uploading anything.

## Check that it works

Send a test message from another address to your Proton address. It should show up at the destination. If you added conditions, the test message has to meet them, for example by carrying the keyword in the subject[^1].

In Command Mail, Settings → Connections shows "Last mail" with a date and time next to the address once mail has arrived. Because the forwarding invitation can already set that value, your test message in the inbox is what counts.

## Common problems and fixes

**You can't set up forwarding.** Proton Free doesn't include automatic forwarding[^1][^2]. Check your plan.

**Nothing arrives.** Check whether the destination accepted the invitation; forwarding isn't active before that[^1]. Check whether the rule is paused and whether the Forward to address is correct[^1].

**Only some messages arrive.** Review the rule's conditions with Edit conditions[^1]. Without conditions, the rule does not restrict forwarding by subject, sender or attachment. Proton's restriction on re-forwarding still applies; check for the yellow triangle[^1][^3].

**A yellow triangle appears next to the rule.** Proton excluded messages because forwarded emails can't be forwarded again[^1].

**Old messages are missing at the destination.** Forwarding doesn't transfer mail that's already in your mailbox[^3]. Use the Export Tool for that[^6].

**Command Mail shows "Last mail," but your test message is missing.** That value may come from the forwarding invitation. Check that you clicked Accept forwarding, then send a new test message.

## Next steps

Check your plan first and decide whether ending end-to-end encryption for the address is acceptable[^1][^2]. To bring several addresses together, read [All your email addresses in one inbox](https://commandmail.app/en/guides/all-addresses-one-inbox). If you use Posteo or mailbox.org, [Posteo or mailbox.org with an AI agent](https://commandmail.app/en/guides/posteo-mailbox-org-ai-agent) covers both routes; for other providers there are [Gmail forwarding](https://commandmail.app/en/guides/gmail-forwarding), [Outlook forwarding](https://commandmail.app/en/guides/outlook-forwarding), [iCloud Mail forwarding](https://commandmail.app/en/guides/icloud-mail-forwarding) and [Yahoo Mail forwarding](https://commandmail.app/en/guides/yahoo-mail-forwarding).

[Start Command Mail for free](https://commandmail.app/login?signup=1), forward your address and connect your agent.

## Sources and date

As of November 2, 2026. Proton's support articles, pricing page, Bridge page and blog posts[^1][^2][^3][^4][^5][^6][^7] and Command Mail's pages[^8][^9][^10] were retrieved that day. Statements about intake by forwarding, the "Last mail" display, the agent setup guidance, the sending routes, the missing Proton pre-fill and how export folders are read also rely on the app code at commit `60c8c3d` (`src/lib/server/intake.ts`, `cloudflare-inbound.ts`, `mailbox-setup.ts`, `send-routes.ts`, `src/lib/mail/smtp-presets.ts`, `src/lib/components/SendingSetup.svelte`, `cli/mail-export.ts`, `cli/main.ts`, `src/routes/onboarding/+page.svelte`, `SettingsPage.svelte`, `messages/en.json`). This guide doesn't claim a run-through with a real Proton account.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I forward Proton Mail for free?

Not automatically. Proton's support article lists email forwarding for Mail Plus, Proton Unlimited and all other paid Proton Mail plans, and the plan comparison doesn't list it for Proton Free. What stays free is the Proton Mail Export Tool, which saves your existing mail once as EML files.

### Does forwarding Proton Mail to Gmail keep end-to-end encryption?

No. When you forward to an address outside Proton, Proton turns off end-to-end encryption for the address involved; Proton says your other Proton addresses aren't affected. Forwarding stays end-to-end encrypted only when the destination is another Proton Mail address.

### Can I forward only some Proton emails?

Yes. While creating the rule, click Add condition. Proton lists subject, sender and attachments as criteria, for example forwarding only messages with a certain word in the subject.

### Why is Proton Mail forwarding not working?

Check the confirmation first. Proton only activates forwarding after the destination accepts the request; for an address outside Proton, that means clicking Accept forwarding in the invitation email. Also check whether the rule is paused or has conditions your test message doesn't meet.

### How do I turn off forwarding in Proton Mail?

Go to Settings → All settings → Forward and auto-reply, open the three-dot menu under Actions next to the rule and choose Pause or Delete. The receiving side of a forward to a non-Proton address can end it by clicking Decline forwarding in the original invitation email.

## Sources

1. [Proton Support: How to use email forwarding](https://proton.me/support/email-forwarding), accessed 2026-11-02
2. [Proton Mail: Pricing and plan comparison](https://proton.me/mail/pricing), accessed 2026-11-02
3. [Proton: How to forward emails in Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and Proton Mail (July 23, 2026)](https://proton.me/blog/how-to-forward-emails), accessed 2026-11-02
4. [Proton: Automatically forward emails from Proton Mail to any other account (December 14, 2023)](https://proton.me/blog/email-forwarding), accessed 2026-11-02
5. [Proton Mail Bridge](https://proton.me/mail/bridge), accessed 2026-11-02
6. [Proton Support: How to export and restore emails using the Proton Mail Export Tool](https://proton.me/support/proton-mail-export-tool), accessed 2026-11-02
7. [Proton Support: How to set up SMTP to use business applications or devices with Proton Mail](https://proton.me/support/smtp-submission), accessed 2026-11-02
8. [Command Mail: Documentation, sections on forwarding addresses and importing existing mail](https://commandmail.app/en/docs), accessed 2026-11-02
9. [Command Mail: Plans and agent permissions](https://commandmail.app/llms.txt), accessed 2026-11-02
10. [Command Mail: Privacy policy (as of 2026-10-28)](https://commandmail.app/privacy), accessed 2026-11-02

[^1]: [Proton Support: How to use email forwarding](https://proton.me/support/email-forwarding), accessed 2026-11-02
[^2]: [Proton Mail: Pricing and plan comparison](https://proton.me/mail/pricing), accessed 2026-11-02
[^3]: [Proton: How to forward emails in Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and Proton Mail (July 23, 2026)](https://proton.me/blog/how-to-forward-emails), accessed 2026-11-02
[^4]: [Proton: Automatically forward emails from Proton Mail to any other account (December 14, 2023)](https://proton.me/blog/email-forwarding), accessed 2026-11-02
[^5]: [Proton Mail Bridge](https://proton.me/mail/bridge), accessed 2026-11-02
[^6]: [Proton Support: How to export and restore emails using the Proton Mail Export Tool](https://proton.me/support/proton-mail-export-tool), accessed 2026-11-02
[^7]: [Proton Support: How to set up SMTP to use business applications or devices with Proton Mail](https://proton.me/support/smtp-submission), accessed 2026-11-02
[^8]: [Command Mail: Documentation, sections on forwarding addresses and importing existing mail](https://commandmail.app/en/docs), accessed 2026-11-02
[^9]: [Command Mail: Plans and agent permissions](https://commandmail.app/llms.txt), accessed 2026-11-02
[^10]: [Command Mail: Privacy policy (as of 2026-10-28)](https://commandmail.app/privacy), accessed 2026-11-02

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