Throwaway addresses
An address that disappears.
Temporary email gives you an address in seconds, with no sign-up. Great for something you'll use once. Risky for anything you'll ever need to get back into.
Five throwaway services, side by side
| Service | How long mail lasts | Can anyone read the inbox? | Can you send? | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp Mail | The address lasts until you delete it. How long messages are kept isn't stated. | Not stated | No | Free. Premium price not listed. |
| Guerrilla Mail | Messages are deleted after 1 hour. The addresses themselves don't expire. | Yes | Yes, though sending was paused the day we checked | Basic price not listed. Using your own domain: $9.99 a year. |
| 10 Minute Mail | 10 minutes. You can click to get 10 more minutes. When it expires, all the mail is deleted and can't be recovered. | No | Replies and forwards only | Free |
| Mailinator (public) | Public emails last several hours, then they're deleted for good. | Yes | No | Public inboxes are free. Paid plans are for business testing. |
| Maildrop | Up to 10 messages; cleared after 24 hours with no new mail. Attachments are removed. | Yes | Not stated | Free |
From each service's own pages, September 2026. Some were built for testing, not privacy.
What the services themselves warn you about
- Guerrilla Mail: It warns that it doesn't scan attachments for malware, so you open attached files at your own risk. No warning about important accounts was found. Source
- 10 Minute Mail: Don't use it for an important account you might need a password reset for. The FAQ says many people have lost accounts that way. Source
- Mailinator (public): Its FAQ says all public emails are public, anyone can read them, and you shouldn't expect privacy. Source
- Maildrop: Its privacy policy says any message can be read by any user and tells you not to send sensitive information. Source
No service needed: plus addressing
Some providers let you add a tag to your own address. Mail still reaches you, and you can see who shared it or filter it.
- Gmail (personal @gmail.com): Add a plus sign and a word after your username, like yourname+shopping@gmail.com. Mail still lands in your inbox, and you can set up filters based on that address. Source
- Outlook.com (personal Microsoft account): Add +sitename after your username, like chester.beane+microsoft@outlook.com. Mail arrives in your inbox. You can't sign in with that address or send mail from it. Source
- Microsoft 365 work or school mailboxes (Exchange Online): Plus addressing is on by default, like sean+newsletter@contoso.com. These addresses are receive-only; users can't send from them. An admin can turn the feature off. Source