How to Forward Your Home Phone to a Cell Phone

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: July 28, 2022

Preparing to Activate

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Enabling Forwarding

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Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

This wikiHow teaches you how to forward calls from your home phone to your cell phone, which will allow you to receive calls to your home phone on your cell phone.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Preparing to Activate

1
Check your carrier's policy on call forwarding. Most carriers support call forwarding, but many impose a fee or require a one-time payment for activation. The easiest way to find out information about call forwarding is by calling your carrier directly.
2
Activate call forwarding if necessary. If call forwarding is disabled for your home phone, ask your carrier to enable it for you. Again, you may need to pay a fee or agree to a charge-per-minute rate before you can activate call forwarding.

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3
Read your home phone's instruction manual. Most manuals have a section on call forwarding. Since home phones' settings vary more widely than the average smartphone, you should be aware of how your specific home phone operates in case there's an extra step or process that you have to complete before activating call forwarding.
- You can usually find a copy of the instruction manual on the phone manufacturer's website.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Enabling Forwarding

1
Activate your phone's dial tone. This can usually be accomplished by picking up the receiver, or by pressing the "Call" button on your cordless telephone.
2
Dial the call forwarding service. You'll usually enter either *72 (Verizon or Sprint) or *21* (AT&T or T-Mobile) into the phone and then press the "Call" button, which is usually a green phone-shaped button.
- Call forwarding codes vary by region. If you're unsure of your phone's forwarding code, consult the manual or the website for the phone.
3
Listen for a dial tone. You should hear a beep or an audio prompt to enter a phone number, at which point you can proceed.
4
Enter your cell phone's number. Type in the 10- or 11-digit number to which you want to forward your home phone's calls.
5
Dial the pound key to complete setup. Press the # button on your home phone to do so. On some home phones, you may have to press the "Call" button again after doing so.
6
Wait for the confirmation tone. You should hear a beep or a chime several seconds after dialing the pound key. Once you hear the chime, you can hang up your phone; your call-forwarding service should now be active.
- In some cases, you may receive an automated response that confirms you have activated the call forwarding service.

Community Q&A

Question

The operator said "Sorry! the service is not available." What it does mean? What can i do to forward my call from landline to cellphone?

Community Answer

Dial the number as *72 1 and then your area code and phone number and it should go through.
Question

Can my landline be put on call forwarding when I am not in my house?

Community Answer

If your landline provider has remote access call forwarding capability, then yes. If you don't have remote access to call forwarding, then you will have to forward/unforward your calls from a phone in your house.
Question

All it says is that I need to put in the number to which I want the calls forwarded. What am I doing wrong?

Community Answer

When it tells you to put in the number, you should enter the phone number where you want the calls forwarded.