HelpMail

Generating your temporary address...

Generating your temporary address...

Inbox

Checking for messages...

Temporary email that behaves like a real inbox while it lasts

A temporary address is only useful if it accepts the mail you are waiting for. This page explains how a HelpMail inbox is created, how mail reaches it, and how it ends.

Temporary email gets dismissed as a gimmick, usually by people who have never sat in a support chat waiting for a confirmation code. Used with clear expectations, it is simply an inbox with an expiry date and no personal details attached.

What happens in the first ten seconds

Opening the site is the setup. The page requests a random address from the active domain pool, the server stores that mailbox against your anonymous session and the countdown starts. The address is ready to receive mail from that moment.

  1. A domain is picked from the active list maintained by this deployment.
  2. A random local part is generated, or the username you typed is checked for availability.
  3. The mailbox is linked to your browser session, so only your browser can read it.
  4. Incoming mail is accepted by the mail gateway and stored against that mailbox.
  5. The list updates on its own while the tab is open and refreshes the moment you return.

Reading mail inside a temporary inbox

The inbox view is built around one question, so it stays out of your way:

  • Unread messages are highlighted and counted, so a code that just arrived is impossible to miss.
  • Every row shows sender and subject before you open anything.
  • Plain-text and HTML messages both render, with HTML sanitized and shown in a sandboxed frame.
  • Attachments up to 5 MB per file download directly from the message.
  • Deleting a message removes it immediately instead of filing it somewhere you will never look.

Choosing your own address

Random addresses are the safest default, because nobody can guess them. When you need something easier to read out loud or recognise in a support ticket, type your own username, pick one of the available domains and create it. If it is taken, the form says so straight away.

How the inbox ends

Two things end a mailbox: the countdown, or you. The countdown length is set by whoever operates this deployment, and a scheduled job deletes expired mailboxes together with their messages and attachments. Deleting manually does the same thing sooner. Either way, nothing is archived.

Limits we would rather state up front

  • Mail can be received, not sent. Password resets that require a reply will not work.
  • Some services block disposable domains and reject the address at the form.
  • Expiry is final. Anything you still need has to be copied or downloaded in time.
  • The inbox is not a secure vault. Treat it as a temporary drop box, not a filing cabinet.

Temporary email questions

Is temporary email the same as a disposable email address?

In everyday use, yes. Both mean an address you can abandon once it has done its job. The practical difference is how long each one is allowed to live.

Do I get a new address on every visit?

You get one on your first visit and keep it while the session lasts. Use the new-address button whenever you want a clean one.

Can I leave an inbox open in a tab all day?

Yes, as long as the countdown has not ended. The list refreshes automatically while the tab is open and catches up as soon as you return to it.

Does temporary email protect me from phishing?

It reduces your exposure, because a leaked address expires anyway. It does not make a fake login page safe. Never enter real credentials into a link from an unexpected email.