How to Use a Temporary Email for Signups — Step-by-Step Guide

A temporary email address lets you sign up for websites and apps without giving away your real email. Here is exactly how to do it, in five steps.

Step 1 — Get your temporary address

Open TempMail. A temporary email address is created for you instantly — no sign-up, no form, nothing to install. It appears in the gold box at the top of the page.

Step 2 — Copy the address

Click the Copy button next to the address. Want a name of your own instead of a random one? Type it in the “Choose your own name” box and click Change Address — for example anees becomes anees@fldubai.com. Choosing your own name is free on TempMail.

Step 3 — Paste it into the sign-up form

Go to the website or app you want to join — a free trial, a forum, a store, a social network — and paste your temporary address where it asks for an email. Submit the form as normal.

Step 4 — Read the verification email

The website sends a verification code or a confirmation link to your temporary address. It arrives in your TempMail inbox within seconds (the inbox refreshes itself every 15 seconds). Click the message, copy the code, paste it into the website — and you are in. If the email is slow, press Refresh Inbox.

Step 5 — Delete the address when done

When you no longer need the address, press Delete Address. A fresh address is created and the old one — with its inbox — is gone. That is the whole point: nothing lingers, nothing can be used against you later.

Temp mail vs 10 minute mail

Both do the same basic job — a disposable inbox for a quick sign-up — but they work differently. A 10 minute mail address comes with a live countdown: after about 10 minutes the inbox and its messages are gone, even if the verification email is still on its way. TempMail has no countdown — your address stays active while you keep using it, so a slow code still arrives. Here is how the best-known free services compare:

ServiceAddress lifetimeCustom address nameAttachmentsSign-up needed
TempMail (this site)Stays active while you use it — no countdownFreeYesNone
10 Minute MailAbout 10 minutes, extendableNoNot statedNone
Temp-Mail (temp-mail.org)Stays valid until deletedPaid Premium featureYesNone
GuerrillaMailAbout 1 hour, extendableFreeYesNone

Lifetimes and features are as each service states them, and they can change. TempMail's advantage is simple: no countdown, a free custom address name, and attachments included — on temp-mail.org, a custom address name is a paid Premium feature.

Tips for using temp mail well

What you can (and cannot) do with temp mail

You can: sign up for newsletters, forums, downloads and apps you want to try; receive verification codes and confirmation links; keep marketing mail out of your real inbox. Use it to try a service before sharing your real address, and to protect your real inbox if a website is ever hacked.

You cannot: send emails from a temporary address; recover a password sent to it later (the address may be gone); use it for banking or anything important.

Questions? See the TempMail FAQ or learn more about TempMail.