Receive email, not send it
Temporary email is for short-term messages; email aliases forward messages to a verified email address. Neither option is guaranteed to work with every website.
Terms of Use · Please Read Before Using
Lightweight email,with clear limits
A cloak can hide your real email address, but it can’t replace sound account security decisions. These terms explain what InboxCloak can do, when you shouldn’t rely on it, and which credentials you need to protect.
Time-limited, not a vault
Temporary inboxes last 3 hours by default, with 3 hours added per extension. Forwarding records are kept for 30 days. Save important emails separately.
Hide your address, follow the rules
Keep your access credentials safe and respect third-party service rules. Hiding your email address does not authorize impersonation or bypassing restrictions.
Choose between a one-time code and ongoing email
InboxCloak offers two ways to receive email: a temporary inbox that requires no login and accepts messages while the address is active, and email aliases available after login that forward messages to your verified real email address. Neither option lets you send or reply to emails from these addresses, and neither is a registration, verification, or account recovery service for third-party websites.
Being able to receive email at an address doesn’t mean a third-party website will accept it, send a verification code, or deliver one promptly. Follow the sender’s registration requirements and terms of use. The X and Spotify emails shown on the homepage are interface demonstrations; they do not imply endorsement by those brands or guarantee real delivery.
If you may need to receive order updates, renewal reminders, or account notifications later, first read Temporary Email vs. Email Aliases. Don’t choose an address based only on whether it can receive a verification code right now.
Use it for low-stakes tasks, not important messages
To decide whether a use is appropriate, ask yourself: if the address expires, will I still need it for important notifications or account recovery? Temporary email works best for low-risk, replaceable tasks that won’t require follow-up access. For ongoing needs, use an email address you control over time.
The lists below can help you decide when to use a temporary address; they do not override third-party website policies. Even if a use seems appropriate, don’t repeatedly change addresses to get around a website’s ban on disposable email.
Suitable · Low risk, easy to replace
- Testing your own products Check registration emails, verification codes, and layouts in an authorized environment. Don’t use real customer data.
- Low-risk sign-ups and trials Only when the service allows temporary addresses and no payments, valuable assets, or long-term account recovery are involved.
- One-time downloads When you only need the download notification and can read and save it before the address expires.
Not suitable · Avoid temporary addresses
- Financial and asset accounts Use a reliable email address you control long term for banking, payment, investment, and asset management notifications.
- Medical and sensitive information Don’t rely on short-term access and limited retention for medical records, identity documents, or other highly sensitive information.
- Account recovery and critical access Don’t link an expiring address to your primary email recovery, work accounts, or important security alerts.
Long-term forwarding isn’t a backup on its own.
Email aliases can keep your real address private for everyday notifications, but delivery still depends on the sender’s and recipient’s policies. For critical accounts, set up another supported recovery method and make sure your real email address remains accessible.
We don’t enable these activities
Hiding your email address can reduce unnecessary exposure; it doesn’t remove your responsibility or let you bypass platform rules. You must not use temporary email, forwarding aliases, or related interfaces for the following activities, or help anyone else do so.
- Spam and abusive sign-ups: Sending unsolicited bulk messages or creating accounts in bulk for artificial engagement, harassment, or other abuse.
- Fraud and impersonation: Phishing, scams, impersonating others, or obtaining or using someone else’s verification codes or account details without authorization.
- Illegal content and activities: Using email or forwarding to receive or distribute illegal content, or to facilitate illegal activities.
- Bypassing third-party access restrictions: Evading bans, eligibility requirements, trial limits, risk controls, or other stated access and registration rules.
- Disrupting the service: Making malicious high-frequency requests, probing other users’ inbox credentials, accessing data without authorization, or interfering with other users’ ability to receive email.
Use inbox features only with accounts and test environments you own or are authorized to use. If a website explicitly rejects temporary email, stop trying and use an address it accepts. Don’t treat switching addresses as a way to bypass restrictions.
Your credentials are the keys—keep them safe
A temporary email token grants access to its inbox; knowing the email address alone does not. Don’t share inbox credentials, URLs containing credentials, or browser storage data. Never include them in public screenshots, code repositories, or shared records.
Keep login verification codes and authenticator secrets private, too. Don’t share codes or authenticator secrets with anyone. If you enable two-step verification, protect your authenticator app and device. When contacting support, describe the issue and provide only necessary timing details—never include secrets that could grant access to your account or inbox.
End your session before leaving a device
When using long-term forwarding on a shared device, log out and check whether the browser has retained related data. Logging out of your forwarding account does not automatically destroy a separate temporary inbox, so don’t assume that logging out has cleared its access credentials.
Move linked accounts before changing an address or deleting an alias
Changing your temporary address invalidates the old one. Save any emails you need and check for verification codes that may still be on their way. Before deleting an alias or disabling forwarding, update your email address on linked websites so you don’t miss future notifications, bills, or recovery emails. Don’t assume deleted addresses or emails can be restored.
Clear time limits, no guarantee of delivery
Temporary inboxes and forwarding records have different retention periods. Check the countdown and the records shown in the interface. Extending an address only adds time to the temporary address; it doesn’t extend a third-party verification code’s validity or restore emails that have been deleted or expired.
The limits below are intended to help you plan how to use and save your email. They are not promises of unlimited storage, permanent recovery, or uninterrupted service. Save any emails, receipts, or attachments you need while they are still accessible.
| Item | Limits | What you should do |
|---|---|---|
| New temporary email address | Valid for 3 hours by default. Follow the live countdown in your inbox. | Receive your code before the address expires. Extend the address in advance if you need more time. |
| Extending a temporary address | Each successful extension adds 3 hours. It does not add 3 hours to a verification code’s validity. | Check the extension confirmation and updated countdown. Don’t assume it worked just because you clicked the button. |
| Changing a temporary address | Creates a new address valid for 3 hours. The old address expires, and its emails are not transferred. | Save emails from the old address and update it on any websites where you used it. |
| Long-term forwarding alias | For ongoing forwarding, not subject to the temporary inbox’s 3-hour countdown. Disabling or deleting it, or service restrictions, may affect incoming email. | Keep your real email address active and check your alias and linked websites regularly. |
| Forwarded email records | Records are available for 30 days, not as a permanent backup. Temporary inbox emails are not included. | Save important messages and attachments promptly. Don’t rely on the archive for long-term recovery. |
| Deleted or expired content | Recovery and continued receipt of future emails are not guaranteed. | Make sure you no longer need future messages before deleting content or abandoning an address. |
Email delivery depends on more than InboxCloak
Websites may block temporary email domains, and sending systems may queue or delay messages or limit how often they can be resent. Emails forwarded to your real address may also be blocked by the recipient or sent to spam. We don’t guarantee compatibility with every verification code, a specific delivery time, or successful forwarding of every message.
Network failures, maintenance, security measures, or other service disruptions may affect address creation, inbox access, and forwarding. If a verification code doesn’t arrive, check the address, wait a reasonable amount of time, and review our code troubleshooting guide. If your task can’t tolerate delays or lost messages, use a reliable email address you control long term.
If something goes wrong, tell us what happened
To protect the service and other users, we may rate-limit requests, suspend access, disable aliases, or terminate related services if we suspect abuse, unusual requests, or a breach of these terms. Urgent security measures may be taken before notice. If you believe we made a mistake, contact support with the relevant address, when it happened, and a description of the issue that doesn’t reveal sensitive information. Don’t send login or inbox credentials.
We may update these terms as product features or security requirements change. We’ll explain significant changes to time limits, features, or restrictions on this page or through available in-product notices. Review the terms before continuing to use the service. If you don’t agree to the updated terms, stop using the service and save anything you still need before deleting an address.
For details on how we handle personal information, email data, and browser storage, also read our Privacy Policy. This page does not promise a particular jurisdiction, fixed compensation, or uninterrupted availability, and is not intended to exclude any non-waivable rights granted to you by applicable law.
Questions about these terms or usage limits?
Tell us what happened. Keep security information to yourself and send your question to our support email.
Choose the right address before sharing it with a website.
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