How to Sign Up for Services Without Giving Your Real Email

Method 1: Temporary Email (Fastest Solution)

**Best for:** One-time signups, free trials, downloads, discount codes

Temporary email services give you an instant, disposable address that works for any signup requiring email verification.

**How it works:** 1. Visit TempMailSpot or similar service 2. Copy your generated email address 3. Use it to sign up 4. Check the temp inbox for verification 5. Complete signup—done

**Pros:** - Instant, no registration needed - Completely anonymous - Works for most websites - Free

**Cons:** - Some sites block temp email domains - Emails expire (can't recover passwords later) - Receive-only (can't send)

Method 2: Email Aliases (Long-Term Privacy)

**Best for:** Recurring services, subscriptions, accounts you'll keep

Email aliases let you create unique addresses that forward to your real inbox—without revealing your actual email.

**Popular options:** - **Apple Hide My Email** (iCloud+) - Unlimited aliases - **Firefox Relay** - 5 free aliases - **SimpleLogin** - 10 free aliases - **AnonAddy** - Unlimited with limits

**Example:** Real email: john@gmail.com Alias: shopping.x7k9@relay.firefox.com

If the alias gets spammed, delete it. Your real email stays clean.

**Pros:** - Emails forward to your real inbox - Can be used long-term - Disable individual aliases anytime - Looks like a real email to services

**Cons:** - Requires initial setup - Premium features cost money - Some services have alias limits

Method 3: Plus Addressing (Gmail/Outlook Trick)

**Best for:** Tracking who sells your data, filtering emails

Many email providers support "plus addressing"—adding +tag to your email without creating a new account.

**How it works:** - Your email: john@gmail.com - Plus address: john+netflix@gmail.com - Plus address: john+shopping@gmail.com

All emails arrive in your regular inbox, but you can: - Create filters for each tag - Identify who sold your data (unique tag per signup) - Block senders by tag

**Supported providers:** Gmail, Outlook, ProtonMail, FastMail, most professional email

**Limitations:** - Not truly anonymous (your real username is visible) - Some forms strip the +tag - Spammers can remove the tag easily

Method 4: Social Login (Selective Sharing)

**Best for:** Quick signups when you trust the service

"Sign in with Google/Apple/Facebook" can actually be more private than email signup—if you use it correctly.

**Apple Sign In is the best:** - Hides your real email with a relay address - Each app gets a unique address - Apple forwards emails without revealing you - Works on any device, not just Apple

**Google Sign In:** - Convenient but shares your real email - Use only for services you trust - Review connected apps regularly

**Facebook Sign In:** - Avoid if possible (most data sharing) - Shares more than just email

Method 5: Catch-All Domain (Advanced)

**Best for:** Power users, businesses, maximum control

If you own a domain, you can create a "catch-all" that receives email to any address at that domain.

**Example:** Domain: yourname.com Use: netflix@yourname.com, amazon@yourname.com, anything@yourname.com

All emails go to one inbox, but each sender thinks they have a unique address.

**Setup:** 1. Buy a domain (~$12/year) 2. Use email service with catch-all (Cloudflare, Fastmail, Zoho) 3. Create addresses on-the-fly

**Pros:** - Unlimited unique addresses - Full control - Professional looking - Block individual addresses

**Cons:** - Technical setup required - Annual domain cost - Requires email hosting

What to Do When Sites Block These Methods

Some websites actively block temporary and alias emails. Here's how to get around it:

**Try a different temp email provider:** TempMailSpot, Guerrilla Mail, 10MinuteMail all have different domains. If one is blocked, try another.

**Use a less common alias service:** SimpleLogin and AnonAddy have many domains. Try different ones until one works.

**Create a "junk" email account:** Make a free Gmail/Outlook specifically for signups. Not as private, but never blocked.

**Use phone number verification instead:** Some services offer SMS as an alternative. Consider a temporary phone number service.

**Skip the service:** If a site aggressively blocks privacy tools, ask yourself: do you really need to use them?