How to Forward an Office Phone to a Cell Phone

Forwarding steps are not the same across providers, and even one company can sell several different phone products with different instructions. Look at your monthly bill or the label on your desk phone and write down the exact service name, such as a landline product, a hosted voice platform, or a wireless plan. Using the wrong product's instructions is the most common reason forwarding fails.

You should also decide what kind of forwarding you need. All-call (unconditional) forwarding sends every incoming call straight to your cell, so the desk phone never rings. Conditional forwarding only sends calls when the desk line is busy or unanswered, which lets the office phone ring first. Not every service supports conditional forwarding, so confirm with your provider before counting on it.

• Find the exact service name on your bill or provider portal.
• Decide between all-call forwarding and busy/no-answer forwarding.
• Confirm your plan supports the type of forwarding you want.
• Know your 10-digit cell number, including the area code.

Many traditional and digital phone services use short star codes you dial from the desk phone itself. The pattern is usually the same: lift the handset, dial the activation code, then enter the destination number, and listen for a confirmation tone or message. To turn forwarding off, dial the matching deactivation code from the same line.

Here are verified examples from provider documentation. These apply only to the named products, not to every line from the same company.

• Verizon business landline: dial *72 and follow the activation instructions; dial *73 to deactivate from the same line.
• AT&T Phone for Business: all calls, dial *72, destination, then #; off is *73#. No-answer is *92, destination, # (off *93#); busy is *90, destination, # (off *91#).
• AT&T Collaborate: *72 plus destination enables always forwarding, *73 disables; *62 plus destination for busy (off *63); *92 plus destination for no-answer (off *93).
• Comcast Managed Voice (Panasonic TPA65): lift the handset, dial *72 and the destination, then replace the handset; *73 disables. *92 sets no-answer (off *93), *90 sets busy when call waiting is off (off *91).
• Optimum Business Phone: dial *72, wait for dial tone, dial the destination; the destination answering confirms it. *73 turns forwarding off.
• Frontier Unlimited Digital Voice: lift the handset, dial *72, wait for a second dial tone, enter the destination, and listen for confirmation; *73 disables.
• C Spire: dial *72 plus the 10-digit destination and press Call; disable with *73 then Call.
• Spectrum Business Voice: sign in to SpectrumBusiness.net, open Voice, choose the phone number, then Voice Settings or Forwarding Manager, enable forwarding, pick all calls or busy/no-answer, and set the destination.

Cloud and hosted business phone systems often manage forwarding through a website or app rather than star codes. Vonage Business Communications, for example, lets you select Call Forwarding and enable forwarding to a phone number. Comcast Business Voice Mobility includes call forwarding and remote call forwarding, managed through My Account or the Comcast Business App, and features depend on which services you subscribe to.

Windstream OfficeSuite UC users can 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. To turn it off, choose None and save. For unanswered calls, the same widget lets you pick a ring count and forward to another phone number.

After setting forwarding in any portal, verify it with a real call from an outside phone, such as a second cell. Vonage specifically recommends verifying the destination with an outside call, and it is a good habit for every provider.

• Vonage Business Communications: select Call Forwarding and enable forwarding to a phone number.
• Comcast Business: use My Account or the Comcast Business App; confirm you have Voice Mobility, Business Voice, or VoiceEdge first.
• Windstream OfficeSuite UC: My Call Forwarding widget, Immediate forwarding to Another Phone, enter the number and save.
• Always test with an outside call after activating.

Once forwarding is active, place a test call from a phone other than the office line. If you set all-call forwarding, the desk phone should not ring and your cell should. If you set no-answer forwarding, let the desk phone ring until it forwards. Confirm the caller ID shows your business number so you know which calls are work calls.

Remember that all-call forwarding takes over the whole line: with Frontier Unlimited Digital Voice, for example, all-call forwarding prevents calls from ringing at the original line and overrides voicemail forwarding. When you return to the office, dial the deactivation code (usually *73) from the same desk phone, or use the same portal control you used to enable it, and test again to confirm calls ring at the desk.

• Test from an outside phone, not the forwarded line itself.
• Check that caller ID still shows your business number.
• All-call forwarding usually overrides desk voicemail.
• Deactivate with *73 or the matching portal setting when you are back.

Forwarding moves the call, but you still have to answer it yourself, which is hard when you are on a ladder, with a client, or asleep. If you miss the forwarded call, the caller reaches your cell's voicemail, which may not mention your business or offer to book an appointment.

An answering service picks up calls on your business line when you cannot, takes messages, and can book appointments. AllDayDesk, this site's own product, answers calls around the clock using your saved business information. You keep your public number by forwarding calls to it, and setup starts by choosing your business or entering its website, checking the details, and hearing a personalized sample. Calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings show up in your dashboard, and new appointments go on the built-in calendar once you have configured services and availability, with an optional Google Calendar connection available in Settings after you authorize your account.

If you are weighing options, human answering services exist too. Ruby advertises live virtual receptionist plans starting at $245 per month as of October 9, 2026, and Smith.ai uses per-call pricing for human receptionists, so compare included minutes or calls, overage rates, hours, and contract terms on a current quote rather than price alone.

• Forwarding still requires you to pick up the call.
• Missed forwarded calls land in your personal cell voicemail.
• An answering service handles calls when you cannot answer.
• Compare plans on included usage, hours, and terms, not price alone.