An email alias is an extra email address which delivers email to your account, just as your main email address does. With Runbox it is even possible to have an alias deliver email to a Runbox account other than your own if you are using your own domain.

An identity (Runbox 7) or profile (Runbox 6) is used for sending mail, and is different to an alias. It is different because it lets you specify a different name and email address for sending email. An alias always uses the same name as your Inbox preferences when sending email.

Note: You can also set a different “reply-to” address using an identity/profile.

Identities/Profiles also allow you to send email using addresses that are not associated with your Runbox account.

An alias can be useful  for mailing lists and websites you trust less than those you give your main address to, since an alias can easily be removed if it receives unwanted mail. An identity/profile might be more useful if you also want to keep your identity private.

Aliases, profiles and identities do not have a login or any storage of their own, and do not work independently from the main account.

Setting up an Alias

Email aliases can be created and deleted from Account > Aliases.  Each alias can deliver email to your main Runbox account (default), or to another Runbox email address of your choosing.

Please note that aliases are not suitable for use by other people — for this we recommend Sub-Accounts instead.

Note: If you delete an alias we keep a record of which account the alias was used with so that you can add it back in the future. Deleted aliases are not available for anyone else to use to protect your privacy.

Setting up an Identity (Runbox 7)

In Runbox 7 we have simplified the method for creating profiles/identities and they are just called identities. We recommend you use this method. You can create an Identity here.

Setting up a Profile (Runbox 6)

A profile is different to an alias in that you can specify a different name and email address for when you send outgoing mail. Profiles are based on folders, and each folder can have different preferences. Profiles are particularly useful if you want to use a different identity for business purposes, although there may be many other reasons you would want to use a profile.

The email address you use with a profile can be an address that is part of your Runbox account (main address or alias), or it can be any address that you receive email for elsewhere (e.g. a Gmail, Yahoo or iCloud address).

Note: Although profiles are set up on folders in the webmail interface, this set up in the webmail is also required if you send messages with an email program (this will be changed in Runbox 7 to not require a folder).

To set up a profile:

  1. Create a folder in the webmail interface that you can change the preferences on. You don’t have to use this folder for messages, but it does need to exist in your account for a profile to work. You can name it something useful that reminds you of what email address the folder/profile is for.
  2. Click on the folder you just created and then click on Preferences.
  3. Deselect the option that says “Use same preferences as Inbox” and click “Save Folder Settings” at the bottom of the page. This will let you customize the preferences for this folder.
  4. Enter the email address that you wish to use when sending mail using this profile.
  5. When you are finished, click the “Save Folder Settings” button at the bottom of the page and follow any instructions you are given in the interface.
  6. A verification email may automatically be sent to the address you chose in the preferences so that we can check you have access to that address. Once you have clicked on the link in the email the address will be verified and you will be able to use that address with your email program within 5 minutes.

Note: If you choose an email address that is not the main email address on the account or one of your aliases, you will be asked to confirm that you own this address when you save the settings. This is done by us sending a verification email to the address you chose in the preferences so that we can verify you own that address.

Using an Alias or Identity/Profile in webmail

To send email from aliases or profiles using the Runbox Webmail, you can simply select the alias/profile in the “From” drop down menu when composing a message.

Your aliases and profiles are listed separately in the drop down menu.

Aliases and Compose

When on the Compose screen, the “From” drop-down menu will default to the From address specified (if any) in the Preferences for the folder you’re currently in. If the folder doesn’t have a specific From address set up, the menu will default to your main Runbox email address.

Aliases and Filter

If you want to organize email sent to different aliases you can filter email sent to each alias into its own Webmail folder using Manager > Filter.

For each alias, create a dedicated Webmail folder, and then a filter where you specify that “messages where Header contains [alias] will be saved to folder [foldername]”.

Note: Any message sent to more than one alias for the same account will only be delivered once.

Using aliases with an email client

Emails sent to an alias will appear in your Inbox just like emails sent to your default Runbox address.

If you have set up filters and folders for your aliases then the information below might be useful.

Aliases and IMAP (receiving email sent to an alias)

Most email clients access email via IMAP, in which case all the folders on the server will be visible in the email client. You do not have to make any changes to your email client’s settings for your alias folders to be displayed.

Aliases and POP (receiving email sent to an alias)

With POP email clients can only access the Inbox folder on the server. If you automatically filter mail to your alias addresses to folders, they will not be available to download via POP as they will not be in your Inbox.

Aliases and SMTP (sending email from an alias)

Many email clients can also be configured to send “From” your aliases so that you can keep your identities separate. This is easier in some than others, and almost impossible in a few.

Thunderbird has a “Manage Identities” feature which you can access via Tools > Account Settings and clicking on the main heading for each email account.

Apple Mail has support for aliases and identities and you can choose a different email alias/address and a name to appear on all mail sent using an alias. You can access this feature by going to Preferences and clicking on the Account tab, and then your account name in the left panel.

Outlook has no identities feature at all and seems to rely on you creating duplicate accounts each with a different alias but with the same login details. You then have to disable the duplicate accounts so they don’t try to download your email, but you can still use them for sending which allows you to use your aliases. You can disable duplicate accounts used for your aliases by going to the Send/Receive tab and using the Define Send/Receive Groups feature.

iOS9 now allows you to specify alias email addresses you want to use for an account more easily. To do this go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Your Runbox Account > Account > Email and then add additional addresses. Remember to tap “Return” after you enter the email address otherwise it will not be included in the list. To select them when composing an message you tap on your email address and select the From address you want to use.

Aliases and forwarding email to another account

Aliases by definition are intended to be alternative addresses that deliver email to the same account that they are created by. However, with Runbox it is possible to also forward email to another Runbox account (including domains using our email hosting feature). It is also possible to use filters to forward any email based on certain criteria to an address not on the Runbox system. This can also work for aliases if the alias is specified as the filter criterion.

To deliver email for an alias to another address on the Runbox system simply specify that address when creating the alias in Account > Aliases.

To redirect email for an alias to a non-Runbox address create the alias and let it deliver email to your default address. Then set up a filter  by going to Manager > Filter, where “[Header] contains [alias] will be [Redirected to] [email address]”. If you want to retain a copy of the email in your own account as well as forward a copy then replace the “redirected” option with “forwarded”.

Further information is available about forwarding emails and creating simple mailing lists.