How to Forward a Landline or Office Phone
Most U.S. landline and cable phone services, including AT&T, Comcast Business, and Spectrum, use *72 to forward calls and *73 to turn forwarding off. Call forwarding can be an add-on feature on some landline plans, so if *72 doesn't work, check with your provider.
Updated September 30, 2026
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Forward every call
*72[10-digit number]
On many landlines the phone company rings the forwarding number to confirm. If it answers, forwarding is on.
Common landline codes
Forward every call
*72[10-digit number]
AT&T, Comcast Business, Spectrum, and most other U.S. providers.
Forward only unanswered or busy calls (Spectrum)
*71[10-digit number]
Spectrum phone service. Other providers use different codes or their online portal for this.
Turn forwarding off
*73
Step by Step
- 1
Pick up the phone on the line you want to forward and wait for a dial tone.
- 2
Dial *72, then the 10-digit number you want calls sent to.
- 3
Wait for the confirmation. On AT&T landlines, the system calls the forwarding number, and forwarding turns on once that call is answered.
- 4
Hang up, then test it by calling your business number from a cell phone.
Good to Know
- AT&T landlines: if the forwarding number is busy or doesn't answer the confirmation call, forwarding won't turn on. Dial *72 again.
- Comcast Business: if star codes don't work, set forwarding in the Comcast Business app or the online voice portal. Dial *73 first to reset forwarding if it's acting up.
- VoIP phone systems (RingCentral, Grasshopper, Nextiva, Ooma, and others) usually set forwarding in the admin portal or app under call handling or call forwarding rules, not with star codes. Many let you forward after a set number of rings.
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Using live call transfers? Set Ringzy's transfer number to a different phone than the one you forwarded. Otherwise an unanswered transfer can be forwarded straight back to Ringzy.
Landline & Office Phones Call Forwarding FAQ
On most U.S. landlines, pick up the phone, dial *72 and the 10-digit number, and wait for the confirmation. Dial *73 to turn forwarding off. VoIP systems usually set forwarding in their app or admin portal instead.
On Spectrum, *71 forwards only unanswered or busy calls. Other providers handle this differently, often as a separate busy/no-answer feature or a setting in their online portal, so check your provider's instructions.
Call forwarding may not be on your plan, or your provider may use its online portal instead of star codes. On AT&T landlines, the forwarding number also has to answer the confirmation call.
Open your provider's app or admin portal and look for call handling, call forwarding, or answering rules. Add the forwarding number and choose when calls forward, such as after a few rings or outside business hours.
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