Starts when creation succeeds
The default validity period doesn’t restart every time you open the page. To see how long your current address has left, check the live countdown in the tool.
Time planner / How long does temporary email last?
Give this email task enough time
Waiting for a verification code takes a different amount of time than waiting half a day for a test notification. Estimate the time you’ll need to receive your emails, then check the actual time left in your web inbox.
Added to the time remaining
For example, if 20 minutes remain, a successful extension brings that to about 3 hours and 20 minutes—not back to 3 hours.
Check the live inbox
This page can’t check or change your inbox’s expiry time. Go back to the inbox home to see your current address and time remaining.
A quick note about inbox time
For this task,
how long should I allow?
Choose the time from now until you expect to receive the last email you need. The planner adds an extra hour to allow for delivery delays, re-verification, and saving your emails.
This estimate assumes a newly created inbox with the default 3-hour validity period. It won’t extend your inbox automatically. An existing address may have only minutes left, so check its countdown separately.
Waiting longer than expected? Check delivery
For planning only
Doesn’t extend your inbox
Tasks under an hour are planned as 1 hour. For ongoing email needs beyond a day, consider a regular email account or forwarding alias instead.
Task + 1-hour buffer
2 hours
Estimated extensions for a new inbox
0
A new inbox should usually be enough, but check the countdown
Your estimated wait is 1 hour, plus a 1-hour buffer, for 2 hours total. If a newly created inbox still has close to 3 hours left, you usually won’t need to extend it for this task. For an existing address, check how much time remains first.
This is a planning estimate, not a service guarantee: emails may be delayed, websites may reject temporary addresses, and extension requests may fail. Don’t rely on this estimate for time-critical email.
When you’re ready to act, check the current countdown first, then select “Extend by 3 hours.” The extension is complete only when the request succeeds and the tool shows the updated time remaining. Choosing 6 or 12 hours here won’t change any inbox.
Turn your estimate into a quick check
Don’t just count the hours;
allow time to take action, too
Temporary email works well for short tasks, not as a long-term account you keep alive with repeated extensions. The longer you expect to need an address, the more important it is to make sure it’s the right choice.
Short tasks: check the time left
Even if you’re waiting only ten minutes, an address you opened a while ago may not last long enough. If the countdown doesn’t cover the wait and time to save your emails, try extending it before expiry and confirm the request succeeded.
Check your current addressTasks lasting over 3 hours: allow for extensions
Each successful extension adds 3 hours. The planner estimates how many extensions a new inbox might need; it doesn’t schedule them for you. The number you actually need depends on the time remaining when you extend.
Don’t wait until the countdown hits zero, and don’t assume your emails will remain available if an extension fails.
Ongoing email: choose another option
If you’ll need to receive bills, password resets, or subscription notifications days from now, don’t rely on a temporary inbox. There’s no guarantee of unlimited extensions, permanent storage, or recovery after expiry.
Compare address optionsThe life cycle of an address
An extension adds time;
a new address means a new inbox
These actions can all seem like ways to keep using email, but they have different results. In particular, if you’ve already entered an address in a signup form, switching to a new one won’t bring over emails sent to the old address.
The descriptions below explain how the product works. They don’t show your current activity or mean that any action has been taken on your behalf.
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Create: get a new email address
When creation succeeds, you get an inbox that’s valid for 3 hours by default. The address, access credentials, and server-side expiry determine which inbox you can access.
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Receive: incoming email doesn’t reset the countdown
Receiving a verification code or receipt won’t extend your inbox. Some of its validity period may already have passed by the time an email arrives, so save anything you need promptly.
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Extend: add 3 hours to the same address
After a successful extension, your address and received emails remain available, and the validity period increases. Check the tool’s response and updated countdown to confirm it worked.
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Switch: create a new inbox and invalidate the old one
Selecting “Get a new address” on the home page creates a new inbox with the default 3-hour validity period, then invalidates the old inbox. Your old emails aren’t transferred, and you can’t recover the previous address. Verification codes that haven’t been sent yet may still go to the old address.
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Delete or expire: end this email session
When an inbox is deleted or its server-side validity period ends, its address and emails are cleared. Deleting a single email removes only that message; it doesn’t delete the whole inbox. Don’t assume any deletion can be undone.
Before you leave, wrap up this quick checklist
Receiving an email
doesn’t mean it’s saved
Check all three items before you finish. This checklist is just a reminder—it doesn’t read your emails or back them up for you.
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Keep anything you still need
Copy essential order details or save important records somewhere you trust, especially if they contain sensitive information. Saving a verification code doesn’t extend its validity.
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Check whether any accounts still use this address
If you’ll need password resets, security alerts, or subscription notifications later, follow the other site’s process to change the address to an email account you control long term. Losing access to a temporary address doesn’t cancel an account or subscription.
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Don’t treat your browser credentials like a long-term email password
Anyone with the inbox credentials may be able to access its emails. Clearing your browser data may remove your way to access the inbox, but it doesn’t immediately delete the server-side inbox. For details, see our Privacy Policy.
A few more things to know about time
Frequently asked questions about inbox duration
An address’s name, your browser state, and the lifespan of its emails aren’t necessarily the same as the inbox’s validity period.
Does a “10-minute email” only last 10 minutes?
“10-minute email” is often used as a general term for short-term email services, but the rules vary by provider. New Inboxonce temporary inboxes are valid for 3 hours by default, and each successful extension adds 3 hours. Check the live countdown on the home page to see how long your current address has left; don’t assume it matches the name.
Will closing the tab immediately delete my inbox?
Closing a tab doesn’t send a deletion request to the server or pause the expiry countdown. Whether you can access the inbox again depends on whether your browser still has the right credentials and whether the inbox has expired. Closing a private browsing window, clearing browser data, or switching devices may prevent you from getting back in. Reopening the page isn’t a guarantee you’ll regain access.
Can I recover emails after the inbox expires?
Don’t count on it. When a temporary inbox expires, its address and emails are cleared. We don’t guarantee recovery of expired emails. Creating a new inbox or switching addresses won’t bring back old emails. Save anything you may need before expiry.
How much time will I have after extending with 20 minutes left?
A successful extension adds 3 hours, so you’ll have about 3 hours and 20 minutes after it completes. Time spent making the request and reading emails continues to count down as usual. Check the validity period returned by the tool and the updated countdown; this page’s planner doesn’t submit extension requests.
Can I keep extending this address forever?
We don’t guarantee unlimited extensions, permanent storage, or that every extension request will succeed. Availability may depend on the service, the inbox’s validity period, and the result of your request. If you need to keep receiving email, use a regular email account or learn about our email forwarding aliases. Forwarding records are archived for 30 days, which isn’t the same as a permanent email backup.
Why did my verification code expire while my inbox was still valid?
The sender sets the verification code’s expiry separately from your temporary inbox’s remaining time. Extending your inbox won’t extend the code’s validity or prompt the sender to send another one. Request a new code at the intervals allowed by the other site. If it still doesn’t arrive, check our verification code delivery guide instead of repeatedly changing addresses.
Planning done? Go back to your actual inbox
Before you keep receiving email,
check how much time is really left
If you need more time, extend your inbox from the inbox page and confirm the request succeeded. If you’ll need an address for much longer, choosing the right kind of address is more reliable than repeatedly recalculating the time.
Need to keep receiving email? A forwarding alias can send incoming messages to your regular email account, separately from your temporary inbox.
Log in to use email forwarding