📧What is a catch-all email address?
A catch-all email (or wildcard address) is a mailbox set up to receive any email sent to a domain, even if the specific address doesn't exist.
📩 Example:
If hello@company.com exists, but wxyz@company.com doesn't—yet wxyz@company.com still gets delivered—it's a catch-all domain.
🤔Why do catch-all emails exist?
They're often used by:
- Small teams who don't want to miss any emails
- Startups consolidating inbound messages
- IT admins as a fallback before full inboxes are created
⚠️Are catch-all emails risky?
Yes—for senders.
Because catch-all domains accept everything, they:
the address is real
discard or blacklist messages later
bounces, spam complaints, or low engagement
🤷Should I send to a catch-all?
You can—but cautiously.
to flag catch-all addresses
opt-in or prior interaction
cold email campaigns or bulk sends
🔍How do I detect a catch-all address?
You can detect catch-all domains using tools that:
- Attempt a SMTP handshake with the mail server
- Check if any fake address at the domain returns "OK"
- Mark the result as "catch-all" or "accept-all"
Lero's email validator flags catch-all domains in real time.
📌 Summary
A catch-all domain doesn't mean the address is valid—just that the server accepts it. Clean lists = better deliverability.
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