How to Forward Your Office Phone to Your Cell

Most traditional office phone lines use short star codes to turn forwarding on and off. The most common pattern looks like this:

First, lift the handset on your office phone and listen for a dial tone. Dial *72, then your 10-digit cell number, and wait for a confirmation tone or message. Ask someone to call your office line to confirm the call rings on your cell. When you want calls back at the desk, dial *73 from the same office phone and listen for the confirmation.

Some providers split forwarding into more than one setting. All-call forwarding sends every call to your cell right away. Conditional forwarding only sends calls when the desk phone is busy or nobody answers, which lets your office voicemail catch calls first. The codes for these two types are usually different, so check which one you are turning on.

• All-call forwarding: dial *72 plus your 10-digit cell number to turn on, *73 to turn off on many landline services
• Busy or no-answer forwarding often uses a different code, such as *90 or *92 on some AT&T and Comcast products
• Always confirm forwarding with a real test call from another phone
• Codes must be dialed from the office line unless your provider offers a remote or portal option

Codes and steps are not the same across providers, and even one company can use different instructions for different products. Here are examples from published provider guides:

Verizon business landline uses *72 to activate and *73 to deactivate from the same line. Verizon mobile uses *72 plus the 10-digit destination for all calls and *71 for unanswered calls, and setup must be done from the mobile phone itself. AT&T Phone for Business uses *72, destination, # for all calls, *92 for no answer, and *90 for busy, with matching codes ending in 1, 3, or 9 to turn each off. These differ from AT&T Collaborate, which uses *62 for busy and *92 for no answer.

Comcast Business features depend on which service you have. Voice Mobility includes call forwarding and remote call forwarding managed through My Account or the Comcast Business App, while the Managed Voice Panasonic TPA65 guide uses *72 with a destination and *92 for no answer. Spectrum Business Voice is managed in the web portal: sign in, open Voice, pick your number, then Voice Settings or Forwarding Manager, and choose all calls or busy/no-answer with your destination. Vonage Business Communications lets you select Call Forwarding and enable forwarding to a phone number. Frontier Digital Voice uses *72 with a second dial tone, and Optimum Business Phone uses *72, wait for dial tone, then the destination, with *73 to turn it off.

The safest habit is to find the exact product name on your bill, then look up that product's own instructions. Codes from one product often will not work on another from the same company.

• Verizon business landline: *72 to activate, *73 to deactivate
• AT&T Phone for Business: *72, destination, # for all calls; *92 for no answer; *90 for busy
• Spectrum Business Voice: manage forwarding in the SpectrumBusiness.net portal under Voice Settings or Forwarding Manager
• Vonage Business Communications: enable Call Forwarding to a phone number in the dashboard
• Frontier Unlimited Digital Voice: *72, wait for second dial tone, enter destination; *73 disables
• Optimum Business Phone: *72, wait for dial tone, dial destination; *73 turns it off

Before you dial anything, decide what should happen to each call. All-call forwarding sends every incoming call straight to your cell, so your desk phone will not ring at all. This works well when you are out of the office for the day or closing the office temporarily.

Conditional forwarding only kicks in when the desk phone is busy or rings unanswered. Your desk phone still works normally, and unanswered calls can go to your cell instead of sitting in office voicemail. This is a good fit when you are at the desk most of the day but want a backup.

One thing to know: on some services, all-call forwarding overrides your office voicemail, so callers will reach your cell or your cell's voicemail rather than your business greeting. If you rely on a professional business greeting, test what callers actually hear after you turn forwarding on.

• Use all-call forwarding when you want every call on your cell, such as when you are away
• Use conditional forwarding when you want the desk phone to ring first
• Check whether all-call forwarding overrides your office voicemail on your service
• Test both modes with a call from a second phone before relying on them

Star codes usually have to be dialed from the office phone itself, which is a problem if you already left. Many hosted and business VoIP services solve this with a web dashboard or mobile app. Comcast Business, for example, manages forwarding through My Account and the Comcast Business App, and Spectrum Business Voice handles it in the online portal. Windstream OfficeSuite UC users can set immediate forwarding from the WE Connect Dashboard.

If your provider offers only on-phone codes and you need to change forwarding remotely, call your provider's support line and ask whether remote activation is available on your plan. Do not assume a code from another carrier or product will work; conditional and remote forwarding features vary by service.

• Check whether your provider has an app or web portal for forwarding
• Hosted VoIP systems usually manage forwarding in a dashboard instead of with codes
• Ask your provider about remote activation if you can only use star codes
• Verify the exact product name on your bill before following any guide

Sending office calls to your cell means every call follows you, including ones you cannot pick up. Some owners forward the office line to an answering service or receptionist instead, so someone else handles the call and takes a message. AllDayDesk, this site's own product, answers calls around the clock using your saved business information; you keep your existing public number by forwarding calls to it, and you can hear a personalized sample before choosing your phone setup. Calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings show up in your dashboard, and new appointments go on the built-in calendar once you have set your services and availability.

Human virtual receptionist services are another option. For example, Ruby advertises plans starting at $245 per month as of October 2026, and Smith.ai uses per-call pricing for its human receptionist service. Costs depend on included minutes or calls, overage rates, hours, and contract terms, so compare current quotes rather than headline prices. If you are weighing options, a side-by-side of features and costs helps more than any single ad.

• Forwarding to an answering service keeps your existing office number
• AllDayDesk answers around the clock using your saved business details
• Human receptionist services like Ruby and Smith.ai price by plan or per call
• Compare included minutes, overage rates, and hours on current quotes

If forwarding does not work, walk through these checks before calling support:

Confirm you dialed from the correct phone. Codes must go in from the office line itself unless your provider supports remote activation. Check that you entered the full 10-digit cell number, including the area code. Confirm the feature is included on your plan; some carriers and devices support forwarding only in select areas or on certain plans, and reseller plans may not support conditional forwarding at all.

If the code gives an error, you may be dialing the wrong product's code. Find your exact service name on your bill and look up its own guide. If calls forward but your cell does not ring, check that your cell is not already forwarding to voicemail or another number, since chains of forwarding can fail silently. Finally, run a test call from a second phone after every change, and dial the deactivation code when you want calls back at the desk.

• Dial codes from the office line, not your cell, unless remote activation is supported
• Include the full 10-digit destination number with area code
• Confirm the forwarding feature is included on your specific plan and device
• Check your cell for its own forwarding rules that could block the chain
• Test with a real call and deactivate with the matching off code when done