How to Create a Temporary Email Address

For most of us, email is a necessary evil. It is crucial to have an email address for logging into accounts and ensuring colleagues and employers can reach you, but email can be frustrating. Whether you are sorting through junk mail and various mailers that mean nothing to you throughout your day-to-day life, email is more of a burden than a true joy.

So, if you get frustrated with the surge of junk mail in your inbox after researching insurance quotes, or you get tired of being “marketed” whenever you need to enter your details into a website to get information, this article is for you. You can create a temporary email address using one of several websites or create an alias email through Google, Yahoo, etc. The process is straightforward and makes it easy to send and receive mail anonymously over the web.

Here’s how to create a temporary email that is both free and disposable.

What You Need to Know About Temporary Email Addresses

Temporary email addresses are incredibly convenient and a great way to enjoy all the benefits of the internet without the junk that comes with it. However, these email addresses are not private, do not come with the same security that many mainstream email providers offer, and will often only last a single session. If you are using one of these services, you may notice that you don’t need a password to access your email. Well, neither would someone else.

That means sharing identifiable information within these email services puts your privacy at risk, so be careful.

How to Create a Temporary Email Address

While most websites, applications, free trials, and reservations require an email address, you are not required to keep it. Those very signups are part of why spam continues to be a problem with email well over twenty years after email became popular for online communication.

Of course, you could create an email address using a popular client like Gmail or Yahoo, but then you’d have a new email account. Temporary email addresses enable you to take advantage of all the services above without the deluge of spam you get after signing up for these services.

Whatever your reasons, you can create a temporary email address in less than a minute. Dozens of good websites offer temporary email addresses or even more permanent ones. If you prefer to stick to what you know, you can always create an alias in your existing Gmail or Outlook account.

Some temporary email address providers include:

• Throwawaymail.com
• TempMail
• Mailinator
• EmailonDeck

Other brands of temporary email addresses are also available. Each provides a viable email address for a single session or longer. They also offer the option of a few domain names, and all are very simple to use.

How to Use TempMail as a Temporary Email Address

1. Visit the TempMail website. The page auto-creates a temp email for you.
   
2. If you want a different autogenerated email, click the Delete button. The system will create a new one to use. You can also use this button when finished using the email address.
   
3. If you don’t like the auto-generated email address process, upgrade to Premium status. Click on Change, then type in your desired “email” and “domain,” such as johndoe@bluehallond.com.
   
4. To check for updated emails, click on the Refresh button.

Using TempMail as an example, you can easily copy and paste the disposable email address into your system’s clipboard. You can also add the webpage to your bookmarks for easy access.

One of the most extraordinary things about the websites listed above is that you don’t have to provide personal information. No names, email addresses, or phone numbers are required. To top it off, your existing email client will not have floods of spam or marketing emails every day. If a company or person sells the email addresses they acquire, they’ll get your bogus temp email address instead.

How to Create an Email Alias to Control Spam and Junk Mail

A valuable alternative to temporary email addresses is to create an alias email. You can use one of your existing providers, such as Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or whatever, and create a unique and disposable email address connected to your primary address. That way, you can filter the junk and keep your actual email private.

How to Create an Alias in Gmail

1. Access the chosen Gmail account and click on (search options icon) at the top.
2. In the To: section of the search parameters, type your Gmail name followed by +[your alias name] so it appears as “bluecat22+misc@gmail.com”. Click Create filter when finished.
3. Check off the Apply the label: box, click the dropdown, and choose or create a label.
4. If you opted to create a new label for junk mail, type it in the appropriate box. Click Create when finished.
5. The previous window reloads. Ensure the Apply the label: box is checked and that the new label is selected. Click Create filter when done.

Now, every time an email gets sent to “[your Gmail name]+[your alias]@gmail.com,” it will arrive in the chosen “Label” folder.

Note: Some junk mail from your alias address may get placed in the “Spam” folder by default due to Google’s filtering process. To avoid the scenario (if desired), you have to set the messages as not being spam, so they return to the appropriate label/folder.

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In closing, creating an alias is a slightly more permanent solution to avoiding spam compared to using a disposable email address. You get a permanent location for all that junk mail and hacker mail, accumulated from registering at websites, placing orders, signing up for discounts, registering for newsletters, and other similar actions.

If you’re willing to spend a few bucks, you can obtain a secure, temporary email address with your choice of name and domain, such as firestix22@vpub.com. As previously mentioned, many websites offer an upgrade. Generally speaking, it’s best to keep away from free services because the price is your data, but in this case, you probably are not providing any essential information. Regardless of your need, creating and using temporary email addresses or creating an email alias is a simple way to keep hackers and junk mail at bay.

Temp Email Address FAQs

Is a temporary email secure?

No. When using a temporary email on a website, there is no password protection or encryption of any kind. These sites are best used for signing up for services with login information or free trials that you don’t intend to keep.

However, using an email alias with your existing email provider, such as Google, is secure. The only drawback to this method is that it consumes storage that gets you closer to your limit.

Are temporary email addresses free?

Yes, in most cases. Some services offer premium services that are paid and offer permanent addresses and domains. But, for general purposes, the majority of temporary email options are free.

Can I create a temporary Gmail account?

While you can create a Gmail account for temporary use, you will be in control of deleting it. Gmail doesn’t offer any functions that allow the address to self-destruct.

When creating an email account you plan to use temporarily, be sure to set your age to 15 years. This way, the client will not require your phone number if you want anonymity. You can also use one of the free temporary emails as a backup email if necessary.