How to create a free temporary email address
Create a free temporary email address on TheMailinator with no signup and no password, then open the inbox and read the mail that arrives.
Read the guide
Guides
Free temporary email guides
How to create an address, open a disposable inbox, and read mail online with no account. Each guide is about @themailinator.com. The inbox is public, so passwords and private mail stay on a mailbox you control.
What a disposable email inbox is for
A disposable email inbox receives mail at a temporary address you open in the browser and leave behind when you are done.
Read the guide
Test a sign-up email without keeping a real mailbox
Use a temporary address to catch a confirmation message while you try a sign-up form.
Read the guide
What a public inbox is, in plain language
A public inbox shows mail for one address to anyone who can type the name. It is not an account, a sending tool, or a filing cabinet.
Read the guide
Do not use a public inbox for passwords
A reset link sent to a public address can be opened by anyone who knows the mailbox name. Keep account access on a private mailbox.
Read the guide
Choose a mailbox name you can reuse in testing
Pick a mailbox name that describes the test, stays within the address rules, and does not contain a customer's real identifier.
Read the guide
Read a verification code from a test message
Find a test code in the plain-text part, then check the sender, subject, and link host before you call the test a pass.
Read the guide
Why the same email has a plain-text part and an HTML part
Many messages carry two copies of the same content. A test inbox should show the text first and keep the formatted copy from running code.
Read the guide
When a team should share one test address
A shared public address works for a low-risk demo. It is a poor place for live links into customer data.
Read the guide
What happens when a message arrives
A plain description of the path from a sender, through mail routing, into the public inbox page on this site.
Read the guide
When temporary email is the wrong tool
Public temporary email is a narrow tool. Identity, money, replies, and real customer accounts belong on a private mailbox.
Read the guide
A checklist before you send a test message
Confirm the address, the contents, and the tenant before a test message lands in a public inbox.
Read the guide