An autoresponder is an automatic reply that cPanel sends when mail arrives at an address you configure. Used well, it covers vacations and simple acknowledgments. Used on catch-alls or list-style addresses, it can create loops, backscatter, and delivery problems for your domain.
How to set up an autoresponder
In cPanel, open Autoresponders and add one for a real mailbox or a single forwarder you control. Choose an interval of at least one day so a bounce handler or another out-of-office message does not keep trading replies with you. Keep the body short, leave out heavy marketing footers, and include a clear end date when you can. Turn the autoresponder off as soon as the person is back at work. A stale vacation notice makes the address look abandoned.
Avoid catch-all autoresponders
Do not place an autoresponder on a catch-all or default address. Every probe to a made-up local part would earn a reply from your server to a forged return path. That pattern is backscatter, and it can harm the reputation of the IP that sends it. If Default Address is set to accept and forward unknown local parts, change that setting before you enable any autoresponder.
Lists and forwarder groups
A sales or support address that only forwards to several people is not a full mailing list. Adding an autoresponder on that same address is risky, because one recipient on vacation can start a reply loop. Use a proper list manager, an ESP, or a helpdesk that controls the From header and knows not to auto-reply to list traffic. Keep personal autoresponders on individual mailboxes, not on the shared list address, so one post never sends “I am away” to every member.
In short, use one mailbox, an optional autoresponder with a sensible interval, no catch-all, and no list built only from forwarders plus auto-replies. Send campaigns through an ESP when you need announcements. The mailbox can still send ordinary receipts and one-to-one mail without trouble.
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