Know the terms,
choose the right address

An email address for short-term use, usually with a limited lifespan. “Disposable” describes how it’s used; it doesn’t mean you can receive only one message.

Here, addresses last 3 hours by default. You can receive multiple emails during that time and extend the lifespan manually. Once an address expires or is deleted, don’t expect to recover it. Best for non-critical tasks you can move on from.

A term for temporary email addresses with short lifespans, not a universal technical standard. Providers may offer 10 minutes, an hour or another time limit.

CloneInbox addresses don’t default to 10 minutes—they last 3 hours. Check the live countdown beside your address; don’t assume how much time is left based on a search term.

An address you use alongside your main email for sign-ups, subscriptions or contact. It might be a separate email account or a forwarding alias; “burner” doesn’t tell you whether it can send messages independently.

CloneInbox’s long-term backup addresses are forwarding aliases: each has a different address, but messages arrive in the same real inbox. For full two-way email, choose a provider that offers it.

A separate email address that forwards incoming messages to an existing inbox. Use different aliases for different senders without managing a separate inbox for each one.

At CloneInbox, aliases are linked to a real email address verified with a code. You can pause or delete each alias individually. An alias isn’t a recovery method independent of your main email, and it can’t send outgoing messages.

These terms are often used for services that let you avoid sharing your real email address, but they don’t come with a standard privacy guarantee. Hiding your destination address doesn’t hide your IP address, message contents or all identifying information held by other websites.

CloneInbox does not promise absolute anonymity. Temporary addresses aren’t suitable for sensitive communications, illegal activity or recovering essential accounts. For details about how we handle your information, see our Privacy Policy.

Forwarding means the system passes messages sent to an alias to the mail system for your real inbox. “Forwarded” in a log shows the delivery result; it doesn’t mean you’ve read the message.

Your email provider may still sort a message into spam or another folder. If you can’t find it, check both your inbox and the delivery log here instead of just refreshing the page.

An archive stores email records so you can review them later. It may include the sender, subject, time, status and available message content. How long records are kept is separate from how long an address lasts.

The CloneInbox dashboard shows forwarding records from the past 30 days. A long-term alias doesn’t mean message contents are stored forever; copies delivered to your real inbox are managed by you and your email provider.

Pausing an alias stops new messages from being processed. Messages sent while it’s paused are discarded, not queued. When you resume it, it receives new messages only; emails sent during the pause won’t be delivered later.

Deleting an alias or destroying a temporary inbox is a more thorough cleanup and may not be reversible. Update your address on any linked websites first. Deleting mail here won’t remove copies held elsewhere.

Spam detection blocks suspicious messages, but it can sometimes flag legitimate mail by mistake. Retrying means attempting a failed delivery again; it can’t guarantee the receiving provider will accept the message.

You can review delivery records and remove spam flags or retry delivery in the dashboard. Even if you can open a message from an unfamiliar sender, don’t automatically trust its attachments or links.

A random credential stored in your browser lets the system identify who can access an inbox or account. Your email address is where messages are delivered—not an access key to share publicly.

Temporary inbox credentials and account login tokens are separate. Clearing browser data may cost you access. On a shared device, log out of your account and destroy any temporary inboxes you no longer need.

A short-lived numeric code sent by email to confirm you currently control that address. It isn’t a password, and you should never share it with anyone claiming to be support staff.

CloneInbox uses a 6-digit email code for sign-in, and your first verification creates an account. You’ll need to wait for the cooldown before requesting another code. If several emails arrive, use the most recent code.

After entering your email code, verify with a time-based code from a mobile app. Apps such as Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator and 1Password can generate these 6-digit codes.

Scan the QR code during setup, enter a current code once and confirm to enable authentication. The QR code and secret key are sensitive credentials. Store them securely, and don’t send screenshots to anyone.