Disposable email Guides
Updated 23 September 2026
Giving the same address to every site means it follows every breach and every spam list. One alias per site tells you who sold your address, and lets you shut it off in one click.
An alias is an extra address that forwards to your usual inbox. The site only knows the alias; you receive messages as normal. If the alias starts getting spam, you switch it off, and your other addresses are unaffected.
| Type | Example | Lifetime | Can you reply? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plus addressing | name+shop@example.com | Permanent | From your main address | Finding out who sells your address |
| Forwarding alias | x7k2m@relay.example | Permanent, can be disabled | Depends on the service | Long-term accounts, without revealing your address |
| Disposable address | A Boxo address | A few hours | No | One-off sign-ups |
Several major email providers accept a + followed by a word before the @: name+newspaper@example.com lands in the inbox of name@example.com. Advantages: nothing to install, and a filter rule can sort each tag automatically.
Limits: your real address remains readable; one only has to remove what follows the +. Some sites also reject that character in their forms.
Dedicated services, sometimes built into the browser, the phone's operating system or the email service, create random addresses that forward to yours. Things to check before choosing one:
With a personal domain name, many email hosts also let you create as many addresses as you like, or accept everything sent to the domain.
A disposable address is the lightest kind of alias: no sign-up, no setup, and it disappears by itself. It is perfect for receiving a code or a link once. It does not suit accounts you want to keep, because it has neither a password nor a long lifetime.
When an alias gets spam or shows up in a breach, you know exactly where it came from, and you shut it off without changing your main address.
Indirectly: a message sent to a shop's alias but claiming to come from your bank is necessarily suspicious. The alias does not filter scams for you, but it makes them easier to spot.
Messages sent to that alias no longer reach you. Update the address of any accounts you want to keep first.
No. It depends on your email provider, and some sites reject the + character in their forms. Test it by sending yourself a message before relying on it.