No. 07 · Email alias generator
Email alias generator
Give every service its own version of your address, like you+netflix@, so you can filter its mail and see exactly who leaked it. For Gmail you also get dot variants.
Enter an address you own to see what we know about plus addressing at that provider.
The random suffix (you+shop-k3x9@) makes tags harder to guess. Use the hyphen separator only if your mail server is set up for it.
Your aliases
Gmail dot variants
When even an alias of your real address is more than a site deserves, use a free throwaway inbox from CleanTempMail instead. No sign-up, and the mail is deleted after 3 days.
How to use email aliases
Type an address you own, list the services you sign up for (one per line, or tap the quick-add chips) and copy the results. Each tag is cleaned up for you: lower case, accents removed, spaces turned into hyphens. Then use you+netflix@ when you register with Netflix, and set up a filter in your mail app that sorts everything sent to that alias.
Which providers support plus addressing?
- Supported: Gmail and Google Workspace, Outlook.com/Hotmail and Microsoft 365, Proton Mail, and Fastmail (which also offers subdomain addressing).
- Reported to work, not documented: iCloud Mail. Yahoo Mail reports conflict, and Yahoo has its own disposable-address feature.
- Your own domain: depends on the mail server. Many self-hosted setups use + or - as the separator.
Whatever your provider, send a test message to a new alias before you rely on it. Provider behaviour can change, and some websites refuse addresses containing a + sign.
Gmail dot variants
Gmail ignores dots in the username, so j.ane.doe@gmail.com reaches janedoe@gmail.com. That gives you 2nā1 spellings for an n-character username. They are handy for testing sign-up flows, but because dots are so easy to normalise they are no good for tracking leaks. Use plus tags for that.
Questions
What is plus addressing?
Many providers deliver mail for you+anything@example.com to you@example.com. Giving each service its own tag lets you filter its mail automatically and shows you who shared or leaked your address.
Do the aliases need to be set up anywhere?
No. If your provider supports plus addressing, every tag works immediately; nothing is registered. This page only writes the variations out for you.
Can spammers just remove the tag?
Yes. Stripping everything after the + is trivial, and some sign-up forms reject the + sign altogether. Tags are great for sorting and spotting leaks, not for hiding your real address.
Do Gmail dot variants work for Google Workspace?
No. Only gmail.com and googlemail.com addresses ignore dots. In Google Workspace and most other providers, j.smith and jsmith are different mailboxes. Plus addressing does work in Workspace.