GUIDE
How to Set Up a Free Business Email with Cloudflare & Gmail
This guide will show you how to create a professional email address like hello@yourdomain.com for free using Cloudflare Email Routing and Gmail. You can receive and send emails using your custom domain without paying for Google Workspace.
Requirements
Before you begin, you'll need:
- A custom domain name (e.g.
yourdomain.com) - A Cloudflare account
- A Gmail account
- Access to your domain registrar (where your domain is registered)
Part 1: Receive Emails
Step 1: Add Your Domain to Cloudflare
- Sign in to your Cloudflare account.
- Click Add a Domain.
- Enter your domain name.
- Select the Free plan.
- Cloudflare will provide two nameservers.
- Go to your domain registrar and replace your current nameservers with the Cloudflare nameservers.
- Wait until your domain status changes to Active.
DNS changes usually take a few minutes, but in some cases they may take up to 24 hours.
Step 2: Enable Email Routing
Once your domain is active, open:
Cloudflare Dashboard → Compute → Email Service → Email Routing
If you're using Email Routing for the first time, click Get Started or Onboard Domain.
Cloudflare will automatically add the required DNS records for email. Simply review the changes and click Done.
Step 3: Add a Destination Email
A destination email is the inbox where Cloudflare will forward all incoming emails.
Go to:
Destination Addresses
Click Add Destination Address.
Enter your Gmail address.
Example:
myemail@gmail.com
Cloudflare will send a verification email to your Gmail account.
Open the email and click Verify.
You must verify your destination email before forwarding will work.
Step 4: Create Your Business Email
Open:
Routing Rules
Click Create Routing Rule.
For example:
Email Address
support@yourdomain.com
Forward To
myemail@gmail.com
Save the rule.
Repeat the same process for any additional email addresses you want.
Examples:
info@yourdomain.com hello@yourdomain.com contact@yourdomain.com sales@yourdomain.com admin@yourdomain.com
All of these can forward emails to the same Gmail inbox.
Step 5: Enable Catch-All (Optional)
If you don't want to create a separate rule for every email address, enable a Catch-All Rule.
With Catch-All enabled, emails sent to any address on your domain will automatically be forwarded to your Gmail account.
For example:
support@yourdomain.com billing@yourdomain.com anything@yourdomain.com random@yourdomain.com
Even if those addresses haven't been created, you'll still receive the emails.
Step 6: Test Everything
Send a test email from another email account to:
support@yourdomain.com
If everything is configured correctly, the email should appear in your Gmail inbox within a few seconds.
Your business email is now ready to receive emails.
Part 2: Send Emails
Cloudflare only forwards incoming emails. To send emails from your custom domain, you'll configure Gmail.
Step 7: Open Gmail Settings
In Gmail, go to:
Settings → See all settings → Accounts and Import
Find the Send mail as section and click Add another email address.
Step 8: Add Your Business Email
Enter your name and your business email address.
Example:
support@yourdomain.com
Leave Treat as an alias enabled and click Next.
Step 9: Configure SMTP
Use the following settings:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| SMTP Server | smtp.gmail.com |
| Port | 587 (TLS) |
| Username | Your Gmail address |
| Password | Google App Password |
Step 10: Generate a Google App Password
Google does not allow your regular Gmail password to be used for SMTP.
To create an App Password:
- Open your Google Account.
- Enable 2-Step Verification.
- Open App Passwords.
- Create a new password for Mail.
- Copy the generated 16-character password.
- Paste it into Gmail during SMTP setup.
Step 11: Verify Your Email Address
Gmail will send a verification email to your business email address.
Since Cloudflare forwards incoming emails, the verification email will automatically arrive in your Gmail inbox.
Open the email and click the verification link.
Your business email is now ready to send emails.
Final Result
You can now:
- Receive emails at
you@yourdomain.com - Send emails from
you@yourdomain.com - Reply using your business email
- Manage everything from your existing Gmail inbox
- Create multiple email addresses without paying for Google Workspace
How It Works
Someone sends an email
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▼
you@yourdomain.com
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Cloudflare Email Routing
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Your Gmail Inbox
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You reply from Gmail
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Recipient sees:
you@yourdomain.com
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is this setup free?
- Yes. Cloudflare Email Routing and Gmail can both be used for this setup without any monthly fees.
- Can I create multiple business email addresses?
- Yes. You can create addresses like
info@yourdomain.com,support@yourdomain.com,sales@yourdomain.com, and forward them all to the same Gmail inbox. - Can I send emails from my custom domain?
- Yes. After completing Gmail's Send mail as setup, all outgoing emails will appear to come from your custom email address.
- Do I need Google Workspace?
- No. This setup works without Google Workspace and is perfect for personal websites, portfolios, freelancers, and small businesses.