# Set Up Extension Voicemail

Voicemail lets an extension capture spoken messages whenever its user cannot pick up. Every extension you create in Cloud Voice starts with voicemail switched on and a random 4-digit access PIN (Personal Identification Number, the code that unlocks the mailbox) already assigned, so the mailbox works the moment the extension exists.

You can leave those defaults in place or tailor the behavior. This page walks through the voicemail settings available on an extension, including PIN protection, email delivery, playback announcements, and greetings. Two related settings live elsewhere: greetings are covered in [Change Voicemail Greetings](/pbx/administrator-guide/change-voicemail-greetings/), and the prompt language is set on the [extension itself](/pbx/administrator-guide/create-a-sip-extension/#create-a-sip-extension-__ext_lang).

## Open the extension's voicemail settings

1. Sign in to the phone system web portal and go to **Extension and Trunk > Extension**.
2. Find the extension you want to configure and click the edit icon ![Edit](/images/pbx/edit.png) next to it.
3. Select the **Voicemail** tab and make sure **Enable Voicemail** is turned on.

:::note
Voicemail is enabled by default on new extensions, so this switch is usually already on. Turning it off disables the mailbox entirely: the extension can no longer collect messages.
:::

## Require a PIN for access

The **Voicemail PIN Authentication** drop-down controls whether the user must confirm their identity before hearing messages.

- **Enabled**: The user is prompted for a PIN before the mailbox opens. Set the code the user enters in the **Voicemail Access PIN** field.
- **Disabled**: The user reaches their messages directly, without entering a PIN.

:::caution
Because Cloud Voice assigns a random 4-digit PIN when the extension is created, a user left on **Enabled** will not know their own PIN. Set a known code in the **Voicemail Access PIN** field (or hand the user the generated one) so they are not locked out of their own messages. Only choose **Disabled** for mailboxes that cannot be reached from outside your organization: with no PIN, anyone who dials into the mailbox can play back private messages.
:::

## Send new-message email notifications

Use the **New Voicemail Notification** drop-down to decide whether Cloud Voice emails the user when a message arrives.

- **Do Not Send Email Notifications**: No email is sent.
- **Send Email Notifications with Attachment**: The alert email includes the recording attached as a `.wav` file.
- **Send Email Notifications without Attachment**: The alert email is sent without the recording.

When either notification option is active, two further settings become relevant.

| Setting | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **After Notification** | What happens to the message once the email goes out: **Mark as Read** flags it as read in the mailbox, **Delete Voicemail** removes it from the mailbox, and **Do Nothing** keeps it as unread. |
| **Send to** | Where the alert is delivered: **User Email** sends it to the user's own address, while **Custom Email** sends it to an address you type into the **Custom Email Address** field. |

:::caution
**Delete Voicemail** erases each message from the mailbox as soon as the notification email is sent, and the recording cannot be recovered afterward. Only pair it with **Send Email Notifications with Attachment**: combined with a notification that has no attachment, the recording is discarded before anyone can hear it.
:::

## Block callers from leaving messages

To stop callers from recording anything for this extension, select **Disallow Voicemail Messages**. Callers still hear the [voicemail greeting](#voicemail-greetings), but the system hangs up immediately afterward instead of recording.

## Choose what plays before each message

You can have Cloud Voice announce details about a message before it plays back. Each of these is optional:

- **Play Date and Time**: Announces when the message was received. When this is on, use **Time Display Format** to choose a 12-hour or 24-hour clock for the announcement.
- **Play Caller ID**: Announces the Caller ID (the calling party's number).
- **Play Message Duration**: Announces how long the recording runs.

:::tip
These announcements matter most for users who listen to voicemail from a desk phone or the Cloud Voice App rather than reading the email alert. They give the listener the same context (who called, when, how long) that an email would otherwise show on screen.
:::

## Voicemail greetings

In the **Voicemail Greeting** section, pick the messages callers hear before the beep.

- **Default Greeting**: The greeting used whenever a presence has no greeting of its own (that is, its **Presence Greetings** entry is set to **None**). Choose one from the **Default Greeting** drop-down.
- **Presence Greetings**: A separate greeting for each presence state, **Available**, **Away**, **Do Not Disturb**, **Lunch Break**, **Business Trip**, and **Off Work**. Cloud Voice plays the one that matches the extension's current presence.

:::note
To create your own greeting audio, see [Record or Upload Voicemail Greetings](/pbx/administrator-guide/record-or-upload-voicemail-greetings/).
:::

## Save your changes

Click **Save**, then **Apply** to put the voicemail settings into effect.

:::caution
Your changes are not live until you click **Apply**. Clicking only **Save** leaves the extension running on its previous voicemail settings.
:::