Many temporary email services forget you the moment you close the tab. If the confirmation email arrives five minutes later, or you need a code again tomorrow, the inbox is simply gone.
That is fine for a code you need right now. It is a problem when you choose an address that lives for hours or days.
Situations where you need the same inbox again
- A free trial sends its “trial ending” email a week later. You want to cancel in time.
- A download link or ticket arrives late, after you have already left the page.
- You signed up on your laptop and now want to check the inbox on your phone.
- Your browser cleared its data, or you used a private window.
Same device: just come back
On the device where you created the address, open the site again. Your inbox is still there, with its timer and emails, until the address expires.
This works because your browser remembers the inbox. It does not work in a private (incognito) window or after you clear your browser data. For those cases, and for other devices, use an access key.
Any device: the access key and QR code
Every address has its own secret access key, made of 20 letters and numbers, like ABCD-EFGH-1234-5678-JKMN. Only the person who created the address gets it.
- In your temporary inbox, press Save access.
- Press Copy key and store it somewhere safe, such as your password manager or notes app.
- Or scan the QR code with your phone camera. It opens the same inbox right away.
To open the inbox later, press Restore inbox and paste the key. If the key is wrong or the address has expired, you will see a clear message.
When you choose a lifetime longer than a few hours, we remind you to save your key.
Why a key and not an account?
An account needs a password, an email to recover it, and usually your real identity. That defeats the purpose of a temporary address.
A key gives you the useful part of an account, coming back to your inbox, with none of the personal data. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing to forget except the key itself.
Keep your key private
The key works like the key to a mailbox:
- Anyone with the key or the QR code can read your emails. Do not share screenshots of it.
- We cannot recover a lost key. We do not know who you are, so we cannot check that the inbox is yours. This is on purpose, to keep your privacy.
- The key stops working when the address expires. The address and its emails are deleted for good, and the address is never given to anyone else.
Quick summary
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Same device, same browser | Open the site again |
| Private window or cleared browser data | Restore inbox with your key |
| Another phone or computer | Scan the QR code or paste the key |
| Lost the key | The inbox cannot be recovered; it will be deleted when it expires |
If you need the address for longer, use Change duration before it expires. (How long should a temp email last?)