Catch-all domains, explained

Why some mailboxes can never be confirmed, what a catch-all verdict really tells you, and how to treat those addresses.

A catch-all (or accept-all) domain is configured to accept mail for every address at that domain, real or not. When its server accepts our probe, that acceptance carries no information: the mailbox might exist, or the message might be silently discarded later.

Why we don't call it valid

Some tools report these as deliverable because the handshake succeeded. We label them catch-all and attach a risk score instead, because a hard claim the server cannot back is how bounce rates surprise you.

How to treat catch-all addresses

Send to them knowingly and in moderation: keep them out of your highest-volume sends, watch bounces on the ones you do mail, and prefer addresses you have engagement history with. The email finder reports catch-all domains honestly too: it will not claim a "found" address on a domain where no address can be confirmed.

Still stuck? Open a support ticket and we'll reply in your dashboard.