A burner email is an address you use for one job and then abandon. The one at the top of this page already works, so if you only need a quick code or link, copy it and go. It lasts 30 minutes. The rest of this page covers what a burner can protect you from and where it lets you down.
What burner email means
The name comes from burner phones, the cheap prepaid handsets people use for a while and then throw away. A burner email, also called a throwaway email, applies that idea to an inbox. Technically it is an ordinary address that receives ordinary mail. What makes it a burner is how you treat it: you have no plan to come back.
That matters because your main address works like an ID. You give the same string to shops, forums and apps, and each of them stores it next to whatever else they know about you. When one of those companies sells its list or gets breached, the address goes with it. A burner means the list holds an address you stopped using long ago. It won’t prevent a breach, but it limits what that breach costs you.
How to make a burner email
- 1
Open this page
The address is created for you. There is no form, name or password. Press Change if you would rather pick the name.
- 2
Paste it into the form
Press Copy, then use the address on the site that is asking for one.
- 3
Read the mail and leave
Messages appear in the inbox here within seconds. When you are done, close the tab and the address runs out by itself.
Three kinds of burner email
A burner email generator usually means the first column below: a temporary inbox you can use straight away. Check that the one you pick has a real inbox, because some generators only produce a random string, and no code can ever arrive at that. The other two columns suit a burner you expect to need for longer.
| Compare | Temporary inbox | Forwarding alias | Second mailbox |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set-up | None | An account with an alias service | A new account, sometimes with a phone number |
| How long it lasts | 30 minutes on a free address | Until you turn it off | Until you delete it |
| Can you send from it? | No | Depends on the service | Yes |
| Private inbox | No, it is shared | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | One code or link | Sites you will return to | A long-term separate identity |
When not to use a burner
A free address name isn’t reserved for you. Anyone who types the same name and domain later can open that inbox and read what arrives, including a password reset for an account you made with it. So a burner account should never hold anything you care about.
- Anything with money attached, such as shops with a saved card, banking or subscriptions
- An account you might want next year, since recovering it means receiving email
- Private conversations, because the inbox has no password
- Getting around a ban or a one-per-person rule, which a new address doesn’t change and which breaks terms you agreed to
Frequently asked questions
Is a burner email anonymous?
Only partly. It hides your real email address from the site, but the site can still see your IP address, your browser and anything else you enter.
Can I send email from a burner address?
Not from this one. Addresses here only receive mail. If you need to send, use a forwarding alias service that supports replies, or a second mailbox.
How do I get rid of a burner email?
You don’t have to do anything. A free address runs out after 30 minutes and each message is deleted 30 minutes after it arrives. To finish sooner, open the three-dot menu next to the address and choose Delete all messages.
Can I use the same burner email twice?
Within 30 minutes, yes. This browser remembers the address until it expires. After that you can type the same name again under Change, but older mail may be gone and someone else may have used the name in the meantime.