A temporary inbox, from start to finish

From address creation,
to the end of this inbox

Once a temporary email expires, you can no longer rely on the old address, and deleted emails can’t be recovered. What matters isn’t keeping the temporary address, but saving the confirmation details you need before it expires.

Check the actual expiration time Compare the four options

Lifecycle overview

Save what you need before expiration

Think of the address as a mail slot with a deadline. Reading emails doesn’t reset the timer, and closing the page doesn’t pause it.

01
Create an address

The system provides an address and access credentials, then sets the expiration time for this inbox.
You can: copy the address
02
Wait for email

Enter the address in the form, then keep an eye on your inbox and the time remaining.
You can: refresh, extend
03
Read and save

Complete verification and save any sign-up reference number, date, or participation details you need.
You can: copy and save for yourself
04
This inbox expires

After expiration, the old inbox becomes inactive. You can no longer rely on it to read or receive email.
You’ll need: a new address

These steps show the inbox lifecycle, not when an email will arrive. Delays from the sender won’t extend your inbox automatically.

Create → Wait → Read

The address and access credentials serve different purposes

Give the organizer your email address. Don’t share the credentials used to access your inbox with the organizer or anyone else.

See the survey and event sign-up steps

01 / Receiving

The address receives mail; the credentials grant access

Copy your temporary address into the sign-up form so the organizer knows where to send the confirmation email. The access credentials saved in your browser let you read and manage this inbox. Don’t share them, URLs containing them, or full screenshots of debug information.

Temporary email can receive messages but can’t send or reply to them, submit sign-up materials, or contact the organizer for you. If the process requires a reply, use your own email address before submitting the form.

02 / Waiting

Closing the page doesn’t pause the timer

The expiration period starts when the inbox is created and keeps running whether or not you stay on the page. If you reopen it, access depends on whether the old inbox is still active and whether your browser still has the access credentials.

If you’re close to expiration and the confirmation email hasn’t arrived, check the time remaining in your inbox before deciding whether to extend it. Refreshing checks for new mail but doesn’t add time. Clearing browser data doesn’t send a deletion request to the server.

03 / Saving

Reading an email doesn’t mean it’s saved

Complete any verification before the inbox expires, and save the sign-up reference number, event date, and participation details you actually need in your own notes or files. Verification codes and confirmation links may have separate expiration periods set by the sender; extending your inbox won’t extend theirs.

Deleting an email on this site only affects that email here. Your saved copy and the organizer’s records are outside the scope of that deletion. If an email contains personal information, also consider whether your own storage location is appropriate.

At expiration

Inactive, inaccessible, and deleted mean different things

From your perspective, you shouldn’t rely on the old inbox after its expiration time. We don’t promise to restore old addresses or describe backend cleanup using a made-up millisecond deadline.

Address becomes inactive

The old address is no longer an active destination for this inbox. Even if you remember how it’s spelled, don’t treat it as a working email address.

No longer accessible

The old credentials can’t make an expired inbox readable again. Text or screenshots still visible in your browser don’t mean the server still allows access.

Address and emails are deleted

At expiration, the old inbox ends according to the rules and its emails are deleted. You can’t recover deleted message content by creating a new address or contacting support.

Don’t assume that “I could still see it a moment ago” means it can be restored.

The page display, access checks, and backend cleanup may not happen at the exact same moment. Save anything you need before expiration. For more details about how data is handled, see our Privacy policy.

Four possible actions

Keep the current address or end the old inbox

First decide whether you still need messages sent to this address, then choose an action. Extending, changing the address, and deleting the inbox aren’t interchangeable.

The current inbox is still active

End the old inbox at expiration

Let it expire naturally

Take no action; the inbox ends at its current expiration time. You can still read emails before then, but after expiration you can’t rely on the old address to receive more.

Current address: Active until expiration
Existing emails: Deleted when the old inbox expires

Best if: You’ve completed verification and aren’t waiting for any more messages.

Keep the current address

Extend before expiration

Each extension on the homepage adds 1 hour. Use the expiration time shown after the extension succeeds. The default 3 hours is the initial validity period, not the amount added with each extension.

Current address: Unchanged
Existing emails: Kept until the new expiration time

Best if: You’re still waiting for the same confirmation email. The extension must succeed before expiration.

Replace and end the old inbox

Change the address

Create a new temporary email address and end the old inbox. The new address doesn’t forward messages from the old one, and forms you’ve already submitted won’t be updated automatically.

Current address: Replaced by the new address
Existing emails: Not moved to the new inbox

Note: If you need to continue with your sign-up, first check whether you can change the email address on the form.

End the old inbox early

Delete the inbox

End the entire inbox, not just delete one email. Save anything you need before confirming. Deletion isn’t a way to pause incoming mail.

Current address: Deactivated early
Existing emails: Deleted with the inbox

Note: Deleting a single email doesn’t delete the address or change its expiration time.

This page doesn’t perform any of these actions. Extensions are subject to service limits, and a failed attempt doesn’t mean the expiration time was extended. Always check the actual result in your inbox.

Confirm in your inbox Estimate how long to wait

Where future emails go

If you need messages tomorrow, choose an address that will still receive them today

After expiration, you can’t rely on the old address to receive reminders or forward missed messages to a new inbox. Whether the sender gets a bounce, retries delivery, or reports a failure depends on their system.

Email forwarding is a separate way to receive mail and won’t automatically take over an expired temporary address. If you need to change the email on a sign-up, update it yourself if the organizer allows it.

One-time verification, done right away

If a survey sends a verification code immediately after submission, or you only need one confirmation email after signing up, first check how long the inbox will remain active. Then save anything you need.

Check the sign-up steps

Reminders for another day, prize claims later

Prize draw dates, event links, or schedule-change notices may arrive after a temporary inbox expires. Before signing up, use your own email address or create a forwarding alias that will keep receiving mail.

Set up email forwarding

Next steps

Check the actual expiration time before deciding what to do

If you’re still waiting for an email, consider extending the inbox. If you need future notifications, choose another way to receive them. Don’t rely on an old inbox after its emails have been deleted.

View wait planning

Set up a separate forwarding address Read about privacy and data handling