If you’re online a lot, you’ve probably noticed an increase in websites asking for your email address. Although sharing your personal email might seem harmless, it often leads to a flood of unwanted spam and can put your privacy at risk.
That’s where temporary email services come to the rescue by providing disposable email addresses that can get the job done without sharing your personal information. In this article, we’ll look at what they are, why they’re useful, and how you can use them, followed by some recommendations.
Table of contents
What is a temporary email address?
A temporary email address, or temp mail, is a disposable email account intended for short-term use. Because it’s anonymous and quick to set up, it’s popular with users looking to avoid spam and protect their privacy online.
How does a temporary email address work?
Temporary email services give you a random email address that you can use to sign up for websites, get confirmation emails, or access downloadable content without sharing your personal email address. A temporary inbox (or just “fake mail”) lets you receive and sometimes send emails, but it won’t have any advanced features like a calendar or extensive storage.
Also called disposable email addresses, temporary emails are perfect for maintaining privacy and keeping the main inbox free of clutter. They’re a simple yet effective tool for one-off uses that don’t require maintaining a permanent communication channel.
Creation and usage | Lifespan | Privacy and security | Functionality | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Temporary email | Instant and anonymous | A few minutes to a few days | High | Basic |
Regular email | More involved; require personal information | Virtually indefinite | Vulnerable | Advanced |
The benefits of a temporary email address
Using a temporary email address can offer several advantages, especially when it comes to enhancing your privacy and security online.
Some key benefits of using disposable mail include:
Enhanced privacy and security
Temporary email addresses let you sign up without sharing any personal info, helping you keep your identity private and lowering the risk of having your data collected and misused by a malicious third party. This gives you more control when signing up for services you don’t fully trust.
Spam and phishing prevention
Temporary inboxes are a great way to avoid all those annoying targeted emails coming through your regular inbox. But it’s not just about spam — since these addresses are short-lived, it’s significantly harder to target you with phishing scams.
Convenience for short-term use
Creating a disposable email address is quick and simple, which makes it perfect for one-time uses like verifying accounts or receiving confirmation emails. After a while, the email expires, so you don’t have to worry about managing or cleaning up the inbox.
Reduced risk of data breaches
Using a temporary email address is a good way to reduce the risk of your personal information being exposed in data leaks. If a service or website you signed up for with a throwaway email address gets compromised, it’s not a big deal — your other accounts should remain safe, as long as you didn’t use the email more than once.
Where can you use a temporary email account?
Temporary email accounts are really handy in all sorts of situations, especially when you want to keep your personal info safe and your main inbox clear.
Here are some examples of when using a temporary email account can be really useful:
Trials and one-time access
When signing up for free trials of software, streaming services, or other online platforms, using a temporary email is a good way to avoid receiving follow-up marketing emails after the trial period ends. This is especially useful for services or websites you only need to access once, such as downloading a free resource or participating in a webinar.
E-commerce and online shopping
Online stores require an email address to send order confirmations, but these are usually followed by promotions and newsletters. Using a fake email address is a good way around all that promotional content you don’t want cluttering up your main inbox.
Social media and forums
A throwaway email can help maintain your privacy when creating accounts on social media platforms, potentially even helping you avoid getting hacked. It’s also a handy trick when you want to leave a comment or join a discussion on a forum or blog without revealing your main email address.
Suspicious websites
If you need to sign up for a website that looks shady, using a fake email address can protect your main email account from potential spam or phishing attempts. A temporary email can also be used to maintain privacy when accessing public Wi-Fi or attending events that require an email sign-up.
Job boards
When applying to jobs en masse, you’ll quickly find that not all listings are genuine — some are just marketing gimmicks waiting for you to share your personal info. Using a temporary email when applying for jobs is a good way to reduce the risk of giving your information to spammers.
Best practices for using a temporary email address
To make the most out of your disposable email address, it’s important to follow some best practices. Here are some helpful tips for using a disposable email address effectively and safely:
- Use a reputable service: go with a well-known and trusted temporary email service. Read user reviews to get a feel for how reliable and functional the service really is. Look for additional features you might find useful.
- Avoid sharing sensitive information: don’t use disposable email addresses to exchange banking information, personal details, or work-related data that you don’t want to share. Temp mail is best for less critical interactions.
- Clear your browser cache regularly: after using a temporary email address service, clear your browser cache and cookies to remove any traces of your activity. This helps protect your privacy and prevents unauthorized access to your temporary mail sessions.
What makes Surfshark’s Alternative ID a better choice than a temporary email address?
If you’re looking for a temporary email address but basic services don’t quite scratch your itch, we’ve got just the thing for you.
Surfshark’s Alternative ID lets you generate complete alternative personas as a way to protect your real identity online. It has two main uses:
- It helps stop spam and unwanted emails, messages, and calls by letting you share alternate contact info instead of your own. If your new inbox starts receiving too much spam, you can delete your Alternative ID again and start fresh;
- It keeps your personal data safe on websites that ask for things like your name, email, and phone number, protecting you against potential data breaches.
With Alternative ID, you can create a complete persona with a name, age, gender, home address, email address, and phone number. Plus, it lets you customize those details and link your real email so you can easily forward stuff to your main inbox.
Setting up a temporary email address with Alternative ID is simple:
- Get Surfshark: to set up Alternative ID, you’ll need an active Surfshark subscription. Take a look at our plans to find the one that fits you best.
- Set up your Alternative ID: head over to my.surfshark.com/alternative-id, select the data you want to generate, and start using your new profile.
- Download the Surfshark extension: to get the best experience, download the Surfshark extension for your Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge browser.
But wait, there’s more!
On top of Alternative ID, you can now also get Alternative Number — a feature that generates a working phone number along with an inbox for receiving messages and calls. With Alternative Number, you can avoid exposing your personal phone number to marketers, robocalls, and scammers. Sounds useful? You can find out more on our Alternative ID product page.
Conclusion — demand for temp mail solutions is growing
As online privacy concerns continue to rise, it seems likely that the demand for more secure and user-friendly temporary email solutions will grow as well. We can expect to see some advanced new features, better integration with other privacy tools, and enhanced security measures in this space — and you can count on us to keep delivering them within the Surfshark suite.
FAQ
What is a 10-minute email address?
A 10-minute email address is a temporary email address that self-destructs after 10 minutes. It’s ideal for quick, one-time use to receive verification codes or confirmation emails.
What is a ghost email?
A ghost email is another term for a temporary or disposable email address used to protect your primary email from spam and unwanted messages. It’s a tool for maintaining privacy in online activities.
Is it safe to use temp mail?
Yes, using temp mail for non-sensitive tasks like signing up for newsletters or accessing free trials is generally safe. However, due to potential security risks, avoid using it for important or personal communications.
What is a burner email?
A burner email is a temporary, disposable email address used for short-term tasks to avoid spam and protect your real email. It can be discarded after use without any consequences.
Can I create a temporary email address on Gmail?
No, Gmail doesn’t offer temporary email addresses. However, you can use Gmail aliases by adding “+alias” to your email address (e.g., yourname+alias@gmail.com) to better filter and manage emails.
Can I use temp mail for Facebook?
Yes, you can use temp mail to sign up for Facebook, but be aware that if the email expires, you may miss important notifications or account recovery options. A disposable email address is best for short-term use.
