How to Set Up an Email Alias: Gmail, Outlook, iCloud and Free Services

By the MailGenerator Team · Updated November 8, 2026

An email alias is an extra address that delivers to your real inbox. You give the alias to a website instead of your main address. If that site starts spamming you, sells your address or gets hacked, you switch the alias off and the problem disappears, without changing your real email.

Aliases are the right tool for accounts you want to keep: shopping, newsletters you actually read, utilities, forums. For one-time sign-ups you'll never return to, a temporary email is simpler. Our comparison Temp Mail vs. Email Alias explains when to use which.

Below are the most common ways to create aliases, from the quickest to the most private.

Option 1: Gmail plus addressing (free, instant)

Gmail delivers any message sent to yourname+anything@gmail.com to yourname@gmail.com. You don't need to set anything up.

1. When a site asks for your email, type your address with a plus tag, for example yourname+netflix@gmail.com or yourname+shop2026@gmail.com.
2. Mail sent there arrives in your normal inbox, with the full alias visible in the "To" field.
3. To "switch off" a tag, create a filter: in the Gmail search bar click the filter icon, put the tagged address in the To field, click Create filter, and choose Delete it.

Good for: tracking which company shared your address. Limits: your real address is visible, and spammers can strip the "+tag" part. Some websites also reject addresses containing a plus sign.

Gmail also ignores dots in the name part, so your.name@gmail.com and yourname@gmail.com reach the same inbox. That's handy, but it's not a privacy feature.

Option 2: Outlook.com aliases and plus addressing

Outlook.com supports the same plus addressing as Gmail (yourname+tag@outlook.com). It also lets you add a small number of genuinely separate addresses to your Microsoft account:

1. Sign in to your Microsoft account online and open Your info, then Edit account info (sometimes labelled Manage how you sign in).
2. Choose Add email, then Create a new email address and add it as an alias.
3. Pick the new address. Mail sent to it lands in the same Outlook inbox.

Good for: a "public" address that doesn't show your main one. Limits: Microsoft caps how many aliases you can add, and removing an alias doesn't free the name for anyone else for some time.

Option 3: Apple Hide My Email (iCloud+)

If you pay for iCloud+ (any iCloud storage plan), you can create unlimited random addresses like quiet-river-12@icloud.com that forward to your Apple ID email.

1. On iPhone or iPad, open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, then Hide My Email. On a Mac, it's under System Settings → your name → iCloud.
2. Tap Create new address, add a label so you remember where you used it, and copy it.
3. To stop mail, open the same screen, choose the address and tap Deactivate email address.

Safari can also suggest a Hide My Email address automatically when you fill in a sign-up form. Even without iCloud+, using Sign in with Apple on a website gives you a free relay address for that site.

Option 4: DuckDuckGo Email Protection (free)

DuckDuckGo gives you a free @duck.com address and lets you generate private random addresses that forward to your existing inbox. It also strips many email trackers before the message reaches you. You set it up from DuckDuckGo's website or its browser extension and apps, and you can deactivate any generated address from the forwarded email itself.

Option 5: Firefox Relay, SimpleLogin or addy.io

These are dedicated alias services. All three have free plans with a limited number of aliases and paid plans with more features, such as your own domain or replying from an alias.

• Firefox Relay (by Mozilla) creates "email masks" from its website or the Firefox browser.
• SimpleLogin (part of Proton) is open source and works with any inbox, with browser extensions and mobile apps.
• addy.io (formerly AnonAddy) is open source and lets you create aliases on the fly.

The basic workflow is the same for each: create an account, link your real inbox, then generate a new alias whenever a site asks for an email. Turn an alias off with one click when it starts receiving spam.

Option 6: Your own domain

If you own a domain, most email hosts let you create unlimited addresses or a "catch-all" that receives mail sent to anything@yourdomain.com. You can then use amazon@yourdomain.com, bank@yourdomain.com and so on. This gives you full control, but if you ever let the domain expire, someone else could register it and receive your account emails. Keep it renewed.

Which option should you choose?

• Just want to see who leaks your address: Gmail or Outlook plus addressing.
• Already pay for iCloud: Hide My Email.
• Want something free and private: DuckDuckGo Email Protection, or the free tier of Firefox Relay or SimpleLogin.
• Want permanent control: your own domain.
• Need an address for five minutes: skip the alias and use a temporary inbox.

Tips for using aliases well

• One alias per site. That way you know exactly who leaked or sold your address.
• Label every alias with the site name when the service allows it.
• Don't use an alias for your most critical accounts unless you're sure you'll keep the alias service. If the service shuts down or you cancel, password resets can get lost. Your bank and your primary email recovery should use an address you fully control.
• Keep a password manager entry for each alias, so you always know which address you signed up with.

Frequently asked questions

Can I reply from an alias?

With plus addressing, replies come from your real address. Hide My Email, SimpleLogin, addy.io and some paid tiers of other services let you reply through the alias so your real address stays hidden.

Will websites block aliases?

Rarely. Unlike temporary email domains, alias domains are usually accepted, though a few sites reject the plus sign. See why websites block temporary email for how detection works.