How do I forward calls on AT&T?

Dial star 21 star, then the ten-digit number you want calls forwarded to, then the pound key, and press call. AT&T confirms on screen and forwarding becomes active, sometimes after a delay of up to 30 seconds. On an iPhone you can do the same thing from Settings, then Phone, then Call Forwarding.

How do I turn off call forwarding on AT&T?

Dial pound pound 21 pound and press call to cancel all-call forwarding. If you have set conditional rules too, or forwarding seems stuck, dial pound pound 002 pound, which cancels every forwarding type on the line in one step.

Does AT&T support conditional call forwarding?

Yes. AT&T honours the standard GSM conditional codes: star 61 star with a number forwards calls you do not answer, star 67 star forwards calls that arrive while your line is busy, and star 62 star forwards calls when the phone is off or unreachable. Each has a matching pound-pound cancel code, and pound pound 002 pound clears them all.

Why will call forwarding not turn off on my AT&T iPhone?

The Settings toggle and the dial codes both write to the same network rules, and occasionally the toggle shows a stale state. Dial pound pound 002 pound to clear every forwarding rule at the network, restart the phone, and the toggle will read off again.

AT&T call forwarding: the codes and the setup

AT&T uses GSM-style forwarding codes. To forward every call, dial star 21 star, then the ten-digit destination number, then the pound key, and press call: the network responds with a confirmation message on screen. To turn it off, dial pound pound 21 pound. Because AT&T is a GSM network, iPhones on AT&T also get the built-in toggle under Settings, then Phone, then Call Forwarding, which does the same thing without any codes. AT&T additionally honours the standard GSM conditional codes, so you can forward only the calls you miss, only when the line is busy, or only when the phone is unreachable, and cancel everything at once when you are done. Activation can take up to half a minute, so give the network a moment before testing.

Forward all calls (21 [number] #)

1Open the Phone app on your AT&T phone
2Dial *21* [number] #, keeping the star and pound keys exactly as shown
3Press the call button
4You'll hear a confirmation tone and see a message on screen.
5Allow up to 30 seconds, then test by calling your number from another phone

Turn forwarding off (##21#)

1Dial ##21# and press call
2Wait for the on-screen confirmation
3Test from another phone to confirm your line rings normally

The codes at a glance

Call forwarding codes: AT&T call forwarding: the codes and the setup
What it does	Turn on	Turn off	Note
Forward all calls	21 [number] #	##21#	Immediate, unconditional
Forward when unanswered	61 [number] #	##61#	Rings you first, then redirects
Forward when busy	67 [number] #	##67#	Redirects only when you are on a call
Forward when unreachable	62 [number] #	##62#	Phone off or out of coverage
Cancel all forwarding types	##002#	-	One code clears everything

The GSM codes, and why AT&T is different from Verizon

Verizon grew up on a network standard where star 72 was the forwarding convention, and AT&T on GSM, where forwarding is expressed as star 21 star. The behaviour is the same; only the dialing grammar differs. If you have used star 72 on another carrier and it does nothing on AT&T, nothing is broken: it is simply the wrong dialect.

The GSM grammar has an upside: it exposes conditional forwarding as first-class codes. Star 61 star handles the calls you do not answer, star 67 star the ones that arrive while you are already talking, and star 62 star the ones that arrive while your phone is off or out of coverage. Most businesses that think they want all-call forwarding actually want star 61 star: the team answers when they can, and the overflow goes somewhere useful.

The iPhone toggle on AT&T

Because AT&T is GSM, iPhones on AT&T show the built-in switch: Settings, then Phone, then Call Forwarding. Turn it on, enter the destination, and iOS keeps a small handset icon in the status area as a reminder that forwarding is live. The toggle only sets unconditional forwarding; the conditional codes above still have to be dialed. Either method can undo the other, so if a toggle will not switch off, dial pound pound 002 pound and the network clears every rule at once.

Troubleshooting AT&T forwarding

Codes must be dialed exactly, including both pound keys where shown, and the destination must be a full ten-digit number. If the confirmation never appears, wait the half minute AT&T sometimes needs, then test anyway: activation occasionally completes without the banner.

When behaviour gets genuinely tangled, for example a phone that forwards some calls and rings on others with no obvious pattern, dial pound pound 002 pound to wipe every forwarding rule, then set up the one rule you want cleanly.

Voicemail and Wi-Fi calling while forwarded

While star 21 star forwarding is active, AT&T voicemail never answers, because calls exit your line before ringing it: the destination and its voicemail take over entirely. Wi-Fi calling changes nothing here, since forwarding rules live in the network rather than on the handset, so a phone on airplane mode with Wi-Fi calling off still forwards exactly as configured.

Where to point the forwarding

A destination number is only useful if someone answers it. Forwarding your AT&T business line to a cell just changes which pocket buzzes, and forwarding to voicemail is what you were escaping. The alternative is forwarding to an AI answering service: OrderToAI answers as your business, books the appointment, answers questions about hours and pricing, and texts the caller links they ask for, so star 61 star turns your missed calls into handled ones.

Questions

How do I forward calls on AT&T?: Dial star 21 star, then the ten-digit number you want calls forwarded to, then the pound key, and press call. AT&T confirms on screen and forwarding becomes active, sometimes after a delay of up to 30 seconds. On an iPhone you can do the same thing from Settings, then Phone, then Call Forwarding.
How do I turn off call forwarding on AT&T?: Dial pound pound 21 pound and press call to cancel all-call forwarding. If you have set conditional rules too, or forwarding seems stuck, dial pound pound 002 pound, which cancels every forwarding type on the line in one step.
Does AT&T support conditional call forwarding?: Yes. AT&T honours the standard GSM conditional codes: star 61 star with a number forwards calls you do not answer, star 67 star forwards calls that arrive while your line is busy, and star 62 star forwards calls when the phone is off or unreachable. Each has a matching pound-pound cancel code, and pound pound 002 pound clears them all.
Why will call forwarding not turn off on my AT&T iPhone?: The Settings toggle and the dial codes both write to the same network rules, and occasionally the toggle shows a stale state. Dial pound pound 002 pound to clear every forwarding rule at the network, restart the phone, and the toggle will read off again.

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