How Do I Forward My Office Phone to My Cell?

Call forwarding sends calls that dial your office number to another phone number you choose, such as your cell. Your callers keep dialing the same business number, and the phone company reroutes the call behind the scenes. There are two main types to know about.

All-call (unconditional) forwarding sends every incoming call to your cell immediately, so the desk phone does not ring at all. Conditional forwarding only reroutes calls in certain situations, such as when the line is busy or nobody answers after several rings. Not every phone service supports both types, so check with your provider before assuming you can set up busy or no-answer rules.

• All-call forwarding: every call goes straight to your cell.
• No-answer forwarding: the desk phone rings first, then the call moves to your cell.
• Busy forwarding: calls reroute only while you are already on a call.
• Forwarding applies to calls, not text messages.

Most traditional landline and many business phone services use star codes dialed from the office phone itself. The pattern is usually: lift the handset, dial the code, wait for a second dial tone or prompt, then enter your 10-digit cell number and listen for a confirmation tone or message. To turn forwarding off, dial the matching deactivation code from the same line.

The codes below come from each provider's own published instructions. Identify the exact product name on your bill first, because the same company often sells several phone products with different steps. Where a provider publishes no verified conditional codes, do not borrow another carrier's codes; confirm the feature with your provider directly.

• Verizon business landline: dial *72 and follow the activation instructions; dial *73 from the same line to deactivate. Verizon mobile uses *72 plus the destination for all calls, *71 plus the destination for unanswered calls, and *73 to disable, set up from the mobile phone in Verizon coverage.
• AT&T Phone for Business: dial *72, destination, then # for all calls; *92, destination, # for no answer; *90, destination, # for busy. Turn each off with *73#, *93#, or *91#. AT&T Collaborate instead uses *72/*73 for always, *92/*93 for no answer, and *62/*63 for busy, with an administrator controlling feature access.
• Comcast Managed Voice (Panasonic TPA65 guide): lift the handset, dial *72 and the destination, then hang up to enable; *73 disables. *92 sets no-answer forwarding and *90 sets busy forwarding when call waiting is off.
• Optimum Business Phone: dial *72, wait for dial tone, then dial the destination. The destination answering confirms forwarding. Press *73 to turn it off.
• Frontier Unlimited Digital Voice: lift the handset, dial *72, wait for a second dial tone, enter the destination, and listen for confirmation. Dial *73 to disable.
• C Spire: dial *72 plus the 10-digit destination and press Call; disable with *73 then Call. C Spire does not publish verified conditional codes, so confirm any busy or no-answer feature directly with them.
• T-Mobile: dial **21*1 followed by the 10-digit destination and # to forward all calls, and ##21# to disable. Use **61*1 for no reply, **62*1 for unreachable, and **67*1 for busy, each disabled with ##61#, ##62#, or ##67#. ##004# resets forwarding to defaults.
• Windstream OfficeSuite UC: use the WE Connect Dashboard, open the My Call Forwarding widget, choose Call Forwarding (Immediate), select Another Phone, enter the 10-digit destination, and save. Choose None and save to turn it off.

Many modern business phone systems skip star codes entirely and manage forwarding through a website or app. If your office uses a hosted or cloud phone service, look for a call forwarding setting in your account portal, usually under voice settings or call handling for your phone number.

Spectrum Business Voice, for example, has account owners or administrators sign in to SpectrumBusiness.net, open Voice, choose the phone number, then use Voice Settings or Forwarding Manager to enable forwarding and set the destination. Comcast Business manages phone features through My Account and the Comcast Business App, and features depend on the services you subscribe to. Vonage Business Communications lets you select Call Forwarding and enable forwarding to a phone number. Frontier also offers portal-based forwarding under Settings and Call Settings for its Digital Voice service, and some Frontier products include Find Me-Follow Me or Simultaneous Ring features.

• Sign in to your provider's account portal or app.
• Find the voice or call settings for your specific phone number.
• Choose all-call or conditional forwarding if both are offered.
• Enter your cell number with the area code and save.
• Turn forwarding off in the same place when you are back at the desk.

After activating forwarding, test it before you rely on it. Have someone call your office number from an outside phone and confirm the call reaches your cell. Some providers, such as Optimum and Vonage, specifically recommend confirming with a call from another line, because a confirmation tone does not always prove the destination works.

Keep a few practical points in mind. Forwarding usually has to be activated from the phone line or account that owns the feature, so you generally cannot turn it on remotely unless your provider offers a remote activation or portal option. Charges may apply depending on your plan, especially if forwarded calls use long distance. And remember that forwarding sends calls only, not texts, so messages sent to a business texting line stay where they were.

• Place a test call from a different phone to the office number.
• Confirm the call rings on your cell and audio works.
• Write down the activation and deactivation codes for your provider.
• Deactivate with the off code (often *73) when you return to the office.
• Ask your provider about any per-minute or long-distance charges for forwarded calls.

Forwarding to your cell works well when you can answer, but it has limits. Every call rings your personal phone, including spam and after-hours calls, and if you miss one, the caller lands in your personal voicemail with no record in any business tool. If you are on another call, driving, or in a meeting, forwarded callers simply wait or hang up.

An answering service fills that gap. AllDayDesk, this site's product, answers business calls around the clock using the business information you save, and you keep your public number by forwarding calls to it. Setup starts by choosing your business or entering its website, checking the details, hearing a personalized sample, and choosing your phone setup. Calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings show up in your dashboard. When the caller asks something the service does not know, such as a price it has not been given, it takes a message instead of guessing. New appointments go on the built-in dashboard calendar 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. Changes to existing appointments are passed to you as requests, not confirmed on the spot.

If you would rather have a person answer, human virtual receptionist services exist too, and their coverage hours and fees vary by provider and plan. Comparing a few options side by side is the best way to decide.

• Forwarding sends every call to your personal phone, including ones you cannot take.
• Missed forwarded calls end up in your personal voicemail, not a business record.
• An answering service takes messages and shows calls and summaries in a dashboard.
• Human receptionist services and AI services differ in coverage and cost, so compare current quotes.