By the MailMail UK team
Search for temp mail, or tempmail as many people type it, and you will find dozens of sites that look the same: an address at the top, an inbox below. The differences are in the details. How long does mail stay? Who else can read it? What does the service keep about you? Can you get the same address back next week? This post explains what the UK in our name means, the questions we think every temp mail service should answer, and where MailMail fits. It also says when you should not use us.
What UK means at MailMail
- Addresses that end in .uk. Two of our 20 domains, mailmail.uk and getemails.uk, give you an address under the UK's own domain ending. The others end in .com, .online, .info and more, so you always have a choice.
- British English, and 14 more languages. The site is written in British English first and is available in 15 languages, from Turkish to Hindi.
- Privacy rules written with UK and EU law in mind. Our Privacy Policy explains what we process under the UK GDPR and the EU GDPR, and why.
What UK does not mean: you don't need to live in the UK, and a .uk address is not linked to your name or location. It works the same from anywhere in the world.
Seven questions to ask any temp mail service
These are the questions we asked ourselves when we built MailMail. Use them to compare any disposable email service, ours included.
1. Do I have to sign up?
A temp mail service that asks for your name or phone number defeats its own purpose. MailMail needs no account, no password and no personal details.
2. How long is my mail kept?
Look for a clear number, not "a while". At MailMail, messages are deleted automatically one day after they arrive. Deletion runs once a day, so a message can stay for up to 48 hours. That is long enough to come back for a code and short enough that nothing piles up.
3. Who else can read my inbox?
On almost every temp mail site, anyone who knows an address can open its inbox. A good service says so plainly, and we do: treat a temporary inbox as public and don't use it for anything you would not pin to a notice board.
4. What does the service keep about me?
Every website keeps something. What matters is that it tells you what and for how long. We record each new address with the IP address that created it and keep that record for seven days to stop abuse. A session cookie remembers which addresses belong to your browser. Our Privacy Policy lists the rest.
5. Can I choose and reuse an address?
Random addresses are quick, but a name you choose is easier to remember. On MailMail you can type a username of 3 to 15 letters or numbers, pick one of 20 domains and create up to five addresses a day. Type the same username and domain later and you are back in the same inbox, with any messages that haven't been deleted yet.
6. What happens when I click a link in an email?
When you open a link, your browser can tell the destination site which page sent you there. In MailMail, links inside messages open through noref.to, a redirect service that removes this information, so the site you visit doesn't see that you came from a MailMail inbox.
7. Can it send email?
A service that sends mail from shared addresses can easily be used for spam. MailMail only receives email. You can read messages and open attachments, but you can't reply or send.
When MailMail is the wrong choice
A temporary inbox is the right tool for newsletters, coupons, downloads, Wi-Fi sign-ins and one-time codes. It is the wrong tool for banking, health or government services, work accounts and any account you want to keep. If you lose access to the address, you lose the password reset with it. When a site needs an inbox you will keep, an alias service that forwards to your real inbox is the better choice. Our post on why websites reject temporary email addresses compares the options.
How to get a .uk temp mail address
- Open the MailMail home page.
- Type a username of 3 to 15 letters or numbers in the panel.
- Choose mailmail.uk or getemails.uk from the domain list and press Create.
- Your inbox opens and checks for new mail every 20 seconds. Press Refresh to check at once.
In a hurry? Press Random for an instant address instead.
Quick answers
Is MailMail UK only for people in the UK?
No. Anyone can use it, from any country, in 15 languages.
Are temp mail, tempmail and disposable email the same thing?
Yes. Temp mail, tempmail, disposable email, throwaway email and burner email are all names for a short-lived inbox you don't have to register for. Some services, often called 10 minute mail, delete everything after ten minutes. MailMail keeps messages for about a day, so you can come back for a code later.
Is MailMail anonymous?
We never ask who you are, but no website is fully anonymous. We keep the IP address that created an address for seven days to prevent abuse, and anyone who knows your temporary address can open its inbox.
Is MailMail free?
Yes. MailMail is free and paid for by advertising.