AT&T Call Forwarding Business Landline: Codes and Setup

AT&T sells several phone products, and the forwarding codes are not the same across them. The instructions in this guide cover AT&T Phone for Business, which is AT&T's small-business landline and local/long-distance service. If you use a different AT&T product, these codes may not work or may behave differently.

Check your bill or your AT&T account page for the exact service name. If it says AT&T Phone for Business, use the codes below. If it says AT&T Collaborate, that hosted product uses its own set of codes, and an administrator controls whether forwarding is available on your line. AT&T wireless lines also use different codes entirely, so do not copy mobile instructions onto a business landline.

If you are unsure, call AT&T business support and ask two questions: what product your line is on, and whether call forwarding is enabled on your account. Some features must be switched on by the provider before the codes will work.

• AT&T Phone for Business: codes below apply
• AT&T Collaborate: different codes, admin-controlled
• AT&T wireless: separate mobile codes, not covered here

Dial these codes from the business landline itself. After each activation code, enter the 10-digit destination number and press #. Listen for the confirmation tone or message before hanging up.

If you have saved forwarding numbers in your AT&T online account, you may not need to re-enter the destination — the stored number is used.

• Forward all calls: *72, destination, # — turn off with *73#
• Forward when no answer: *92, destination, # — turn off with *93#
• Forward when busy: *90, destination, # — turn off with *91#
• Deactivate from the same line you used to activate

All-call forwarding (*72) sends every incoming call to the destination immediately. Your landline will not ring at all. Use this when you want another service to handle everything, such as after hours or during a vacation.

Conditional forwarding only redirects calls in specific situations. No-answer forwarding (*92) rings your phone first and forwards only if nobody picks up. Busy forwarding (*90) forwards only while you are already on a call. These are useful for overflow: you answer when you can, and the destination catches the rest.

Before you activate all-call forwarding, decide where you want unanswered calls to end up. Forwarded calls ring at the destination you set, and how that interacts with any voicemail on your AT&T line depends on your service configuration — ask AT&T business support how forwarding and voicemail work together on your specific line so nothing surprises you later.

• *72: every call forwards, phone never rings
• *92: phone rings first, forwards after no answer
• *90: forwards only when the line is busy
• Ask AT&T how forwarding interacts with voicemail on your line before activating

After activating, place a test call from a different phone — a cell phone works well. Dial your published business number and confirm the call arrives at the destination you set. If it rings your landline instead, the activation did not complete; hang up and dial the code again, waiting for the confirmation tone.

Also test the deactivation code so you know how to switch back. Write the on and off codes on a card near the phone. If a code gives you an error message, call AT&T to confirm the feature is provisioned on your line — a code that is not supported will simply fail rather than forward.

• Test from an outside phone, not the forwarded line
• Listen for the confirmation tone after each code
• Practice *73# so you can turn forwarding off quickly

Forwarding is what lets you keep your advertised number while calls are handled elsewhere. With AllDayDesk, you keep your public AT&T number, forward calls to the number AllDayDesk assigns, and the service answers using your saved business information. Setup involves choosing your business or entering its website, checking the details it found, hearing a personalized sample, and then choosing your phone setup — the sample is a demonstration and does not create a real booking.

Once calls come in, you can see calls, transcripts, summaries and bookings in the dashboard. New appointments go on the built-in AllDayDesk calendar by default once you have configured your services and availability, and an optional Google Calendar connection is available in Settings after you connect and authorize your account. When the service does not know an answer, price or appointment detail, it takes a message instead of guessing. If you configure transfers with a destination and rules, calls can be transferred to you, though pickup is not guaranteed.

If you would rather forward only some calls, use the conditional codes (*92 or *90) so your line still rings first during business hours.

• Keep your published AT&T number; forward to the service's number
• All-call forwarding for full coverage, conditional for overflow
• Calls, transcripts and bookings appear in your dashboard