Want a professional email address like you@yourdomain.com but don’t want to pay for Google Workspace or another email provider? Thanks to Cloudflare’s free email routing and a clever Gmail trick, you can send and receive emails using a custom domain—for free! This guide walks you through the entire process step by step. 🛠️
🎯 What You’ll Need
✅ A Gmail account (it’s free)
✅ A custom domain (purchased from any domain registrar)
✅ A free Cloudflare account
🏗️ Step 1: Add Your Domain to Cloudflare
Cloudflare offers free email routing, which allows you to forward emails from your custom domain to any email inbox (including Gmail).
1️⃣ Sign up or log in to Cloudflare.
2️⃣ Click Add a Site and enter your domain name.
3️⃣ Select Free Plan and proceed.
4️⃣ Update your domain’s name servers with the ones provided by Cloudflare.
- This is done in your domain registrar’s settings (e.g., Namecheap, GoDaddy).
- Changes may take a few minutes to several hours to propagate.
📧 Step 2: Set Up Email Routing in Cloudflare
Now, we’ll set up email forwarding so that messages sent to your custom email address land in your Gmail inbox.
1️⃣ In Cloudflare, go to Email Routing → Create Address.
2️⃣ Enter a custom email, e.g., hello@yourdomain.com.
3️⃣ Set the destination to your Gmail address (e.g., yourname@gmail.com).
4️⃣ Verify your Gmail address by clicking the link in the email Cloudflare sends.
5️⃣ Cloudflare will now provide MX and TXT records—click “Add records and enable”.
✅ Done! Now, emails sent to hello@yourdomain.com will forward to your Gmail inbox.
✉️ Step 3: Send Emails as Your Custom Domain in Gmail
Receiving emails is great, but you also need to send emails from hello@yourdomain.com, not just your Gmail address. Here’s how to set it up.
🔑 Generate an App Password (Required for Gmail SMTP)
Since Gmail requires extra security, you need to create a special App Password:
1️⃣ Go to Google Account Settings → Security → App Passwords.
2️⃣ Select Mail as the app and Other (Custom Name) as the device.
3️⃣ Enter something like Custom Domain Email and click Generate.
4️⃣ Copy the 16-character password (you’ll need it soon).
🛠️ Add Your Custom Email in Gmail
1️⃣ Open Gmail and go to Settings → See all settings.
2️⃣ Click Accounts and Import → Send mail as → Add another email address.
3️⃣ Enter:
- Name: Your name
- Email Address:
hello@yourdomain.com - ✅ Check Treat as an alias
4️⃣ Click Next Step and enter: - SMTP Server:
smtp.gmail.com - Username: Your Gmail address (e.g.,
yourname@gmail.com) - Password: Your App Password from earlier
- Port: 587 (TLS) or 465 (SSL)
5️⃣ Click Add Account and check your Gmail inbox for the verification email.
6️⃣ Click the confirmation link to verify your custom email address.
✅ Now, you can send emails from your custom domain via Gmail!
🔄 Step 4: Set Gmail to Automatically Reply from Your Custom Email
1️⃣ Go to Settings → Accounts and Import.
2️⃣ Scroll to When replying to a message and select Reply from the same address the message was sent to.
✅ Now, Gmail will automatically reply using your custom email instead of your Gmail address!
🎉 Step 5: Test Your New Custom Email
✅ Send a test email from another email address to hello@yourdomain.com.
✅ Check if it lands in your Gmail inbox.
✅ Reply and confirm that the response comes from hello@yourdomain.com, not your Gmail address.
🛑 Troubleshooting
🔹 Email not forwarding?
- Double-check that your Cloudflare email routing is set up correctly.
- Ensure your MX and TXT records are active in Cloudflare.
🔹 Sent email goes to spam?
- Ask recipients to mark your email as Not Spam.
- Add SPF/DKIM records to improve email deliverability (Cloudflare guides available).
🔹 Can’t send emails?
- Ensure the SMTP settings are correct in Gmail.
- Regenerate the App Password if necessary.
🚀 Why This Works and How Long It Will Last
✅ 100% Free—no need for Google Workspace or paid email hosting.
✅ Uses Gmail’s reliable SMTP for sending emails.
✅ Cloudflare handles forwarding (unless they discontinue free email routing, this should work indefinitely).
If your startup or business grows and requires better deliverability, you may eventually want a paid service like Google Workspace or Zoho Mail. But for personal projects or small businesses, this free method works like a charm!
💡 Pro Tip: You can add multiple custom emails (support@yourdomain.com, info@yourdomain.com, etc.) using the same method!
🎯 That’s it! You now have unlimited free custom email addresses with Gmail and Cloudflare. 🚀 Enjoy the professional touch for your emails without spending a dime! 😃
