A throwaway address that catches every message and self-destructs. Built for signups, OTPs, and staying anonymous.
An address is ready the moment the page loads. Mail lands in real time over a live connection — no refresh.
No account, no personal data. Inboxes auto-expire and everything is permanently purged when the timer ends.
Generate inboxes and read mail programmatically — one-time codes are auto-extracted for you. See the API documentation.
MailboxTemp is a free disposable email service. It gives you a temporary, anonymous inbox in one click — no signup, no personal details. Use it to sign up for websites, receive one-time verification codes (OTPs), test your own apps, or keep your real address out of marketing lists and data breaches. Every inbox and message self-destructs automatically when its timer runs out, so nothing lingers.
Under the hood, we run our own inbound mail servers: your temporary address is real, receives real email over standard SMTP, and appears in your browser within seconds over a live connection. Free inboxes last 60 minutes (extendable in 10-minute steps, or 24 hours on Pro); when the timer ends, a cleanup job permanently deletes the address, its messages, and attachments — there are no backups of expired mail, by design. The full technical walkthrough is on the how it works page.
Good uses: one-off signups and verification codes, free trials and downloads, forum registrations, giveaways, and automated email testing through the API. In each case you need the inbox for minutes, and its disappearance afterwards is the feature.
Bad uses: anything you'll need to log back into later. Because the inbox expires permanently, password resets for accounts registered with it become unreachable — so never use a temporary address for banking, healthcare, government services, work accounts, or ongoing two-factor codes. Our safety guide spells out where the line is and what to use instead.
How it differs from an alias: an email alias (like you+shop@example.com or a forwarding alias) delivers to your permanent, password-protected mailbox and lives as long as you want — better for relationships you're keeping. A MailboxTemp inbox is instant, anonymous, and disposable — better for relationships you're not. The comparison is covered in depth in temp mail vs VPN vs alias.
Practical guides on disposable email, verification codes, privacy, and email testing.
A disposable email address is a throwaway inbox that works like a normal email for a short time, then disappears. You can receive messages and verification codes at it, but you never have to reveal your real address. It's ideal for one-off signups, free trials, and any site you don't fully trust with your primary inbox.
Yes. Generating an inbox and receiving email is completely free, with no account required. We also offer an optional Pro plan for people who want longer-lived inboxes, a custom address, several inboxes at once, and an ad-free experience — but the core service stays free forever.
No. A free inbox appears the moment the page loads — no email, name, or password needed. An account is only required if you choose to upgrade to Pro, since billing and your subscription need to be tied to a login.
Free inboxes last one hour by default, and you can extend the timer by 10 minutes at a time directly from the inbox. Pro inboxes last 24 hours. When the timer ends, the address and all of its messages are permanently deleted.
Yes — that's one of the most common uses. When a message contains a one-time code, MailboxTemp automatically detects it and shows it at the top of your inbox so you can copy it instantly without opening the email.
No. MailboxTemp is receive-only by design. Inboxes can accept incoming mail and verification codes, but they cannot send messages. This keeps the service from being used for spam or abuse.
We don't ask for any personal information to use the free service, and inboxes are automatically purged when they expire. Messages are stored only for the lifetime of the inbox. For full details on what we collect and how ads and cookies work, please read our Privacy Policy.
They're gone for good. A background cleanup process permanently removes expired inboxes, their messages, and any attachments from our database and file storage. Expired data cannot be recovered.
We don't recommend it. Because inboxes expire and are deleted, you would lose access to password resets and future notifications. Use a disposable address for throwaway signups and trials — not for banking, work, or anything you need long-term access to.
Yes. You can generate inboxes and read messages programmatically, which is handy for automated testing and QA. One-time codes are auto-extracted in the API response too. The full reference — endpoints, rate limits, errors, and examples — is in the API documentation.
If you receive abusive content or have any question, email us at support@mailboxtemp.com. We review reports and take action on addresses or senders that violate our Terms of Service.