Cancel call forwarding by dialing *73 or through your Verizon account online

Call forwarding on Verizon stops working the moment you dial *73 from your phone, or you can turn it off through your online account in about two minutes. The *73 method works when ready on any phone, anywhere — you do not need internet or a computer. If you want to confirm it is off or turn off only specific types of forwarding (like when you do not answer), the online method gives you more control and shows you exactly what is active.

Most people set up call forwarding to send calls somewhere else temporarily — to another phone, to voicemail, or to a colleague — and then forget to turn it off. Calls keep routing away from your main number even after you no longer need them to. Cancelling it means calls come back to your phone as normal.

Key Takeaways

  • Dial *73 from your Verizon phone to stop all call forwarding when ready, with no account login required.
  • Log into My Verizon online to turn off call forwarding, see which numbers calls are forwarding to, and manage individual forwarding types.
  • Call forwarding stops only for the phone line you cancel it on — if you have multiple lines, you must cancel each one separately.
  • After you cancel, test by calling your own number from another phone to confirm calls ring through normally.

The fastest way: dial *73 from your phone

Pick up your Verizon phone and dial *73, then press the call button. You will hear a tone or a brief message confirming that call forwarding is off. That is all — it takes five seconds and works on any phone, from anywhere, without needing to remember your account password.

This method cancels all types of call forwarding at once: calls that forward when you do not answer, calls that forward when your line is busy, and calls that forward unconditionally to another number. If you set up forwarding to send calls to your work phone, your voicemail, or a colleague, *73 stops all of it.

The *73 code works on landlines and mobile phones on the Verizon network. If you are calling from a phone that is not Verizon, you will need to use the online method instead.

Cancel through your Verizon online account

Go to verizon.com and sign in with your account username and password. Click on your phone number or line at the top of the page, then look for a section called "Call Forwarding" or "Call Management" — the exact name varies depending on whether you have a landline or mobile service.

You will see a list of any active forwarding rules. Each one shows where calls are being sent and under what condition (always, when busy, when you do not answer). Click the toggle or button next to each one to turn it off. Save your changes, and the forwarding stops within a few minutes.

If you do not see a call forwarding section in your account, your phone plan may not include the feature, or it may be listed under a different name like "Call Routing" or "Advanced Calling." Try searching the help section of My Verizon for "call forwarding" to find the exact page for your account type.

What to do if you have multiple phone lines

Call forwarding is set per line, not per account. If you have a home phone and a mobile phone on the same Verizon account, or if you have multiple mobile lines, you must cancel forwarding on each line separately. Turning off forwarding on your mobile line does not affect your home phone line.

When you log into My Verizon, select each phone number one at a time and check whether forwarding is active on that line. Dial *73 on each phone individually, or go through the online process for each line. This is especially important if you set up forwarding on one line and forgot which one — check them all to be sure.

Confirm that forwarding is actually off

After you cancel, call your own Verizon number from a different phone — a friend's phone, a work phone, or a mobile phone on another carrier. Let it ring several times. If your Verizon phone rings normally, forwarding is off. If the call goes to a different number or voicemail that is not your usual voicemail, forwarding is still active.

If the call still forwards after you dialed *73 or turned it off online, wait 10 to 15 minutes and test again. Changes sometimes take a few minutes to process on Verizon's network. If it still forwards after that, contact Verizon support — there may be a technical issue or a forwarding rule you did not see in your account.

Why call forwarding might still be active

Verizon offers several types of call forwarding, and they work independently. You might have turned off one type but left another running. "Unconditional forwarding" sends all calls to another number when ready. "Busy forwarding" sends calls only when your line is busy. "No answer forwarding" sends calls only if you do not pick up within a certain number of rings. If you only cancelled one of these, the others keep working.

The online method shows you all active types at once, so you can see which ones are still on. The *73 code cancels all of them together, so if *73 did not work, the issue is usually a delay in the system or a forwarding rule set up through a different method (like through your voicemail service or a third-party app).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does cancelling call forwarding affect my voicemail?

No. Call forwarding and voicemail are separate services. Turning off call forwarding means calls come back to your phone instead of going to another number. Voicemail still works normally — if you do not answer, calls go to your voicemail as usual. You can have call forwarding off and voicemail on at the same time.

Can I turn off call forwarding for only certain callers?

Standard Verizon call forwarding does not filter by caller. It either forwards all calls or none. If you want to forward calls from specific people only, you would need a different feature like "Call Filtering" or a third-party app. Check your account to see what call management options are available on your plan.

What if I want to set up call forwarding again later?

Dial *72 followed by the phone number you want to forward to, then press call. For example, *72-5551234567. You will hear a confirmation tone. To turn it back off, dial *73 again. You can also set it up through My Verizon online in the same place where you turned it off.

Does *73 work on all Verizon phones?

*73 works on Verizon landlines and mobile phones. If you are using a phone on a different carrier, you will need to log into your Verizon account online or call Verizon support to cancel forwarding on your Verizon line. The code does not work across carriers.

How long does it take for call forwarding to turn off?

When you dial *73, it stops when ready. When you turn it off through My Verizon online, it usually takes a few minutes to process. If calls still forward after 15 minutes, contact Verizon support to check whether there is a technical issue on their end.