❓What is a catch-all email address?
A catch-all email is a domain setup that accepts all emails sent to any address, even if that address doesn't exist.
For example, if you email anything@company.com, and the domain has catch-all enabled, your message won't bounce—even if anything@ isn't real.
🤔Why do catch-all domains exist?
Catch-alls were designed to:
- Prevent email loss (e.g., misspellings like info@ vs. inof@)
- Provide centralized inboxes for small teams
- Mask internal email structures
But they introduce risk in email validation and cold outreach.
✅Are catch-all emails valid?
Technically yes—they won't bounce immediately.
But they're also risky, because:
- Many are inactive or monitored by spam filters
- You don't know if the inbox is real or just a sinkhole
- Your emails may hurt sender reputation if engagement is low
🔍How to detect catch-all emails?
Lero and other email validators run an SMTP check to determine if a domain is configured as catch-all. If so, we'll flag it as "risky", not fully valid.
📧Should I send emails to catch-all addresses?
Not unless you have a strong reason.
In warm, opt-in contexts (e.g., form signups)
For cold outreach or deliverability-critical campaigns
💡Best practices
- Use an email validator to detect catch-alls
- Separate risky addresses from clean ones
- Consider sending a soft warm-up email to gauge engagement
📌 Summary
A catch-all email accepts all emails sent to a domain, even if the specific address doesn't exist. While technically valid, they're considered risky for email marketing due to potential deliverability issues and unknown engagement levels.
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