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How can I change the address that appears after "From" on emails I send?

  • 3 iimpendulo
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  • Impendulo yokugqibela ngu Matt

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I want the "From" line on emails I send with Thunderbird to show a different email address from the address of the email provider I use to send those emails. I used to be able to do this by inserting the desired email address as my Email Address under the Default Identity section of Account Settings. However, several months ago this stopped working (if I list any address other than the actual address of my account, the messages will not send). As a fallback, I have entered the desired address as the "Reply-to Address", but this has caused confusion for a number of people.

I want the "From" line on emails I send with Thunderbird to show a different email address from the address of the email provider I use to send those emails. I used to be able to do this by inserting the desired email address as my Email Address under the Default Identity section of Account Settings. However, several months ago this stopped working (if I list any address other than the actual address of my account, the messages will not send). As a fallback, I have entered the desired address as the "Reply-to Address", but this has caused confusion for a number of people.

All Replies (3)

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Why not just install the alternative account (and therefore also its address) into Thunderbird?

Many email providers will refuse to carry messages using from: addresses on other domains.

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There is no other account. The other address is simply an email forwarding address.

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jmkCulverCity said

There is no other account. The other address is simply an email forwarding address.

That is an address is obviously if folk are sending mail to it.

Most mail providers in an effort of reduce the criminal use of email refuse to send mail from a mail account using an address that is different to the one they assign to it. For example, sending from Verizon for info@mydomain.com. Google will allow it, but only after you jump through some hoops to prove you "own" the address you want to "send" from.

There is however also the issue of sending mail saying your address is Something@verizon.com from say a gmail server. Many security packages look at the routing information of the email, identify the phishing nature of it not coming from server registered as the mail exchanger for the domain of the email address and therefore marking is as suspicious either as spam or a potential phishing issue. Just as getting a snail mail envelope purporting to be from the US IRS with a Moscow postmark would be odd.