What is temporary email?
A temporary email address is a real inbox that you can use straight away without signing up, and that deletes itself after a set time.
The short answer
Temporary email, also called temp mail, disposable email, throwaway email, burner email, or 10 minute mail, gives you a working address in one click. You paste it into a form, read the email that arrives, and walk away. The inbox expires on its own, so the website that emailed you has nothing lasting to send spam to.
How it works behind the scenes
- The service owns one or more email domains and accepts mail for addresses on them.
- When you open the page, it creates a new random address for you and gives your browser a key to read it.
- Mail sent to that address is received by the service’s mail servers and stored briefly.
- Your browser checks for new messages every few seconds and shows them on the page.
- When the timer runs out, the address and its messages are deleted.
On TempMailyo, the inbox lasts 24 hours, the page checks for mail every 12 seconds, and only your browser holds the key that can read the inbox. Read how our inbox works for the details.
What people use it for
- Getting a download, coupon, or article that is behind an email form.
- Confirming a sign-up for a site you might never visit again.
- Keeping newsletters and marketing out of their real inbox.
- Avoiding having their real address exposed when a small site is breached.
- Testing sign-up and notification emails during software development.
What it is not good for
Temporary email is the wrong tool for anything long-term. Banks, government services, health providers, employers, and any account you want to keep need an address you’ll still control in a year. Password resets and security alerts go to your email, and a temporary inbox can’t receive them once it has ended.
Many websites also block temporary email domains, so it won’t work everywhere. See why websites block temporary email.
Temporary email vs other privacy options
- Temporary email: no setup, expires on its own, receive-only. Best for one-time use.
- Email aliases: forward to your real inbox and can be turned off. Best for accounts you keep.
- Plus addressing (
you+shop@gmail.com): easy, but reveals your real address.
Our comparison of disposable email and aliases goes into more detail.
Questions
Is temporary email free?
On TempMailyo, yes. There is no paid plan and no account.
Is temporary email the same as a fake email?
Not quite. A made-up address doesn’t receive anything. A temporary address is a real, working inbox that just doesn’t last.