A catch-all sends mail for unknown recipients at a domain to a chosen receiving address. Use PD DirectAdmin DNS’s catch-all control only when that is the intended mail policy for the existing native domain.

Check the domain and mail service

Confirm the domain is visible to the provider connection and the account/server permits catch-all handling. Check that MX routes mail to the intended DirectAdmin mail service and that the receiving address works.

A catch-all is not a replacement for every existing mailbox or single-address forward. It handles unmatched recipients, so test both an unknown address and the normal addresses that should keep their own delivery.

Configure and inspect

1. Open the domain’s Forwarding page and choose the catch-all action.
2. Enter the receiving mailbox under Send all unmatched mail to.
3. Save the catch-all and inspect the current destination.
4. Test an unknown recipient and review actual delivery.
5. Check existing valid recipients still follow the intended route.

This module writes a native address-mode catch-all with one destination. A server that has disabled catch-all handling can refuse it; investigate that policy with the administrator rather than repeatedly adding the same rule.

Removing the catch-all

The released removal resets native unknown-recipient handling to its failure mode. It does not restore an arbitrary earlier destination or discard policy automatically. Agree the intended replacement handling before removing a live catch-all.

Use the forward-removal guide and retain the original redacted current rule/result while your hosting team checks the mail policy. Do not send login keys or full mail contents.

Check unknown-recipient handling

Your hosting team should compare the native domain, current unknown-recipient mode and destination with the intended mail policy. Have your DirectAdmin administrator check whether catch-all handling is permitted, and check MX and receiving-mailbox delivery separately. Test an unknown recipient separately from an existing mailbox or alias; a catch-all does not replace those explicit routes. Removal resets unknown-recipient handling to failure; it does not recover an arbitrary previous address or discard policy.

See the PD DirectAdmin DNS WHMCS guide for related tasks, or explore the module.