FORWARD(5) | File Formats Manual | FORWARD(5)

# NAME

`forward` — mail forwarding instructions

# DESCRIPTION

The `.forward` file contains a list of mail addresses or programs that the user's mail should be redirected to. If the file is not present, then no mail forwarding will be done. Mail may also be forwarded as the standard input to a program by prefixing the line with the normal shell pipe symbol (|). If arguments are to be passed to the command, then the entire line should be enclosed in quotes. For security reasons, the `.forward` file must be owned by the user the mail is being sent to, or by root, and the user's shell must be listed in /etc/shells.

For example, if a `.forward` file contained the following lines:

    nobody@NetBSD.org
    "|/usr/bin/vacation nobody"

Mail would be forwarded to ⟨nobody@NetBSD.org⟩ and to the program /usr/bin/vacation with the single argument nobody.

If a local user address is prefixed with a backslash character, mail is delivered directly to the user's mail spool file, bypassing further redirection.

For example, if user chris had a `.forward` file containing the following lines:

    chris@otherhost
    \chris

One copy of mail would be forwarded to chris@otherhost and another copy would be retained as mail for local user chris.

# FILES

$HOME/.forward
  The user's forwarding instructions.

# SEE ALSO

sendmail(1), aliases(5), mailaddr(7)

July 2, 1996 | NetBSD 11.0