As an admin, you might need separate email addresses for different teams like sales, support, or marketing. While having multiple domains can give flexibility, managing each domain individually can become complicated. Each domain needs a separate setup, configuration, and DNS management, which takes a lot of time.

This is where sub-domain stripping makes things simpler.

What is sub-domain stripping?  

Sub-domain stripping is a feature that automatically delivers emails sent to sub-domains to your main domain.

Example:
Emails sent to user@sales.company.com will go directly to user@company.com.

Instead of creating multiple standalone domains, you can just make sub-domains under your main domain, such as:

1. user@sales.company.com
2. user@support.company.com
3. user@marketing.company.com
   

1. Why sub-domain stripping is useful  

   1. Protect unused sub-domains
   Unused sub-domains can be exploited by attackers for phishing or malicious content, especially if their DNS records are left unattended. This is called sub-domain takeover.

   By enabling sub-domain stripping, you make sure emails sent to unused or forgotten sub-domains are safely routed to your main domain, reducing security risks.

   2. Simplify trials and test environments
   When testing a new system or running trials, you can use a sub-domain without changing your main domain’s MX records.

   Benefits:

   • You only need to update MX records for the sub-domain, not the main domain.

   • You can create users, verify accounts, or test emails safely.

   • You can forward emails from your main domain to the sub-domain if needed until you are ready to update the main MX records.

   3. Manage forgotten sub-domains (EASM)
   External Attack Surface Management (EASM) helps find old or abandoned sub-domains that still have DNS records pointing to third-party services.

   With sub-domain stripping, emails sent to these inactive sub-domains are redirected to the main domain, helping you control and monitor your organization’s email traffic while reducing exposure.

   4. Centralized email monitoring
   Tracking emails across multiple sub-domains can be tricky. Sub-domain stripping ensures all emails reach the main domain, making it easier to:

   • Group and monitor incoming emails

   • Analyze traffic trends

   • Improve response times

   5. Reduce alias management
   Creating multiple email aliases can be cumbersome. Sub-domain stripping automatically delivers emails from a sub-domain to a single mailbox, eliminating the need to manage numerous aliases and simplifying administration.

   How to enable sub-domain stripping in Zoho Mail  

   1. Log in to Zoho Mail Admin Console

   2. Go to Domains

   3. Select the domain for which you want to enable sub-domain stripping

   4. Navigate to Sub-domain Stripping under Advanced Settings

   5. Turn on the toggle and click Enable in the confirmation pop-up
      

   Enable sub-domain stripping