Frequently asked questions

Everything worth knowing about throwaway inboxes on InboxGoblin: how they work, what they can't do, and how long anything sticks around.

What is a disposable email address?

A disposable (or temporary) email address is one you use once or twice and then abandon. On InboxGoblin you pick any name and it instantly becomes a working inbox at name@inboxgoblin.com, with no signup and no password. Share it wherever you'd rather not hand over your real address, read what lands, then walk away.

Do I need to sign up or create a password?

No. There are no accounts. You open an inbox just by choosing a name and visiting it. Anyone who knows the name can open the same inbox, so treat the name itself as the only "key": pick something hard-to-guess if you don't want others stumbling onto it.

How long do messages last?

Messages are automatically and permanently deleted after 3 days. A cleanup job runs every hour, so anything past the cutoff is removed for good. There is no archive, trash, or recovery. Save anything you need before then.

Can I reply to or send emails?

No. InboxGoblin is receive-only. Inboxes can accept incoming mail but cannot send, reply, or forward. It's built for one job: catching messages like sign-up confirmations and one-time codes.

What names can I use?

Names may use lowercase letters, digits, dots, hyphens and underscores, and can be 1 to 64 characters long. A handful of role addresses (such as admin, postmaster, support and abuse) are reserved and can't be claimed.

Is it really free?

Yes. InboxGoblin is free to use. The site is supported by ads. See our Privacy Policy for how advertising cookies work.

How private is this?

There are no accounts, so we never ask for your identity. But because any visitor who knows an inbox name can read it, disposable inboxes are not secure or confidential. Never route password resets, banking, medical, or other sensitive mail through them. For more detail, read the Privacy Policy.

Can I use it for important account sign-ups?

We don't recommend it. Since messages vanish after 3 days and anyone with the name can read them, use a disposable inbox only for throwaway or low-stakes signups, not for accounts you actually intend to keep.

Have another question? Learn more about InboxGoblin.