A trash mail address for the emails you don't want
Every website wants your email, and most of them will fill your inbox with promotions afterwards. A trash mail address takes that hit instead. The address at the top of this page is a free trash email, already active. Give it to the site, grab the confirmation or download link from the inbox above, and let the rest of their mail go in the trash, literally. The whole inbox deletes itself after 5 days.
How trash mail works
- A trash address is generated as soon as you open the page.
- You give it to a website instead of your real email.
- Mail arrives here, in the inbox on this page, usually within seconds.
- You take what you need: the code, the link or the attachment.
- Everything is deleted automatically after 5 days, or right away with "Delete".
Trash mail, your spam folder and unsubscribing
People often ask why they'd use trash mail instead of just deleting junk. The difference is where the problem lives:
| Trash mail address | Spam folder | Unsubscribing |
|---|
| Real address shared with the site | No | Yes | Yes |
| Protects you if the site is breached | Yes | No | No |
| Stops the site selling your address | Yes | No | Partly |
| Effort after sign-up | None | Ongoing | One click per sender |
Trash mail prevents the problem; the others clean up after it. For spam already reaching your real inbox, follow our guide How to Stop Spam Emails in Gmail and Outlook.
Good uses for a trash email
- Coupon codes and "10% off your first order" pop-ups
- Contest entries and giveaways
- Free e-books, templates and whitepapers behind an email form
- Trying a forum or app before deciding whether to keep it
- Hotel, café and airport Wi-Fi sign-ins
When to keep it out of the trash
A trash inbox has no password and disappears. Don't use it for anything you'll need later: online banking, shops that store your card, your phone carrier, work tools, government or health services. If you lose access to that inbox, you lose the password-reset route too. For accounts you keep, an email alias gives you a throwaway-style address that you can still recover.
Frequently asked questions
Is trash mail the same as temp mail?
Yes. Trash mail, temp mail, disposable email, burner email and throwaway email are different names for the same idea: a short-lived inbox you don't mind losing.
How long does a trash mail address last?
Messages and the address are kept for 5 days on MailGenerator.
Can someone else read my trash mail?
Possibly, if they know or guess the exact address, because there's no password. Never receive personal documents or passwords there. See Is Temporary Email Safe?
Some sites reject my trash email. Why?
Some websites block known disposable domains. Here's how that works and what to use instead.
