Receiving one email temporarily and forwarding updates over time are two different things. This notice explains what each involves, how long data is kept, and which actions actually stop it.
We handle the generated address, incoming messages, and attachments. Access them with a temporary credential. The default lifetime is 3 hours, renewable up to 24 hours. This is not a secure vault for sensitive information.
About temporary inboxesForwarding requires a real destination inbox, an alias configuration, and delivery records. Forwarded messages are available in the archive for 30 days—not stored permanently.
About forwarding and archivesEmail verification codes confirm access to your real inbox; sign-in credentials let you manage aliases. Signing out does not destroy a temporary inbox or automatically stop forwarding.
Understand the two sessionsWhen you open the temporary email tool, the service generates an inbox address, an access credential, and expiry information. You don’t need to provide a real email address or sign in. The address prefix doesn’t identify a real person or give the inbox the same protections as a private email account.
When someone emails that address, we process the sender, recipient, subject, time received, message body, and attachments so they can appear in your inbox. Temporary inboxes are receive-only: you can’t reply or send messages from the address.
Your browser uses the temporary inbox credential to request the message list, open or delete messages, and extend the inbox lifetime. Knowing the address alone doesn’t grant management access. But anyone with a valid credential may be able to read or delete inbox contents. Don’t share the credential, requests containing it, or unredacted debugging screenshots.
Shared computers, browser extensions, sync or backup tools, and anyone with access to your browser data on this device can put your credentials at risk. Don’t use a temporary address for banking information, identity documents, work secrets, or password recovery for an important account. If you’re unsure, check the address selection guide.
A temporary address is valid for 3 hours by default. Each renewal adds 3 hours, up to a maximum lifetime of 24 hours. Once it expires, the address and its messages are no longer available. You can’t recover old messages by entering the same address again, so save any links or attachments you need before expiry.
Destroying a temporary inbox ends access to it. On the homepage, “Get a new address” creates a new 3-hour inbox and requests destruction of the old one—it doesn’t rename it. Before continuing, make sure there are no unread messages you still need. For an overview of how addresses are generated and receive mail, see How random email addresses are generated.
Ongoing forwarding requires you to sign in with a real email address. We process your account email, alias addresses, active or inactive settings, and the information and status needed to deliver messages. This lets us forward mail sent to an alias to your destination inbox and show whether delivery succeeded, failed, or was blocked.
Using an alias on a third-party form can keep that form from getting your real email address directly. Tempsummit still needs to know your destination inbox to forward messages. This isn’t a promise of anonymous communication, and it won’t prevent your identity from being exposed through message content, tracking links, or information you share yourself.
The forwarding archive lets you review recent messages and their delivery status. Save anything you need to keep long term in your own inbox or storage. Records outside the archive window should not be considered recoverable.
The 30-day period applies to the forwarding archive. It doesn’t mean all security logs, legally retained data, or backup copies are deleted at the same time. We make no promises about backup deletion timelines that haven’t been confirmed.
Forwarding relies on email delivery infrastructure and the destination email provider. Copies delivered to your destination inbox are also subject to that provider’s policies. Disabling or deleting an alias on our site won’t recall messages already delivered or unsubscribe you from the sender’s mailing list.
| Data type | Purpose and retention window | Your options and their limits |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary inbox and messages | For temporary email; 3 hours by default, extended by 3 hours per renewal, up to 24 hours. | You can delete individual messages. After expiry or destruction, they can’t be recovered. Copies saved to your device are not deleted. |
| Forwarding archive | For viewing recent messages and delivery status; available for 30 days. | You can delete archived records. Copies already delivered to your destination inbox are not deleted. |
| Aliases and destination inbox | For managing forwarding; the configuration isn’t automatically canceled when a message leaves the archive window. | You can disable or delete an alias. For account-related requests, contact support. Signing out does not delete your account. |
| Browser credentials and settings | Used to restore temporary inbox access, account sign-in, and your last reading position. These are not the same as server-side archive retention. | You can sign out or clear site data. Clearing local data does not itself send a deletion request to the server. |
| Security and service logs | May be used to prevent abuse, troubleshoot issues, and measure service performance. This notice does not specify a single fixed deletion period. | You can ask about how this data is handled. Requests depend on identity verification, technical capabilities, and applicable law. |
If you only need to collect something once, a temporary inbox may be enough. If you want to keep receiving updates, a forwarding alias may be a better fit. Use the guide to software trials and downloads to decide whether you’ll need the address later.
When you request a sign-in, we send a 6-digit verification code to the real email address you provide, then process the code check and necessary delivery status to confirm you can access that inbox. The code is for this verification only, not a permanent password. Don’t forward it to anyone claiming to be support.
After verification, your browser stores an account credential for managing aliases and viewing the forwarding archive. Temporary inboxes use a separate credential and don’t require an account. Signing in or out does not create, take over, or destroy a temporary inbox.
If you enable two-step verification, the service generates and verifies an authenticator secret and one-time codes. During setup, scan the QR code with a mobile app such as Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or 1Password, then enter the 6-digit code shown in the app to confirm.
QR codes and manual setup keys are sensitive verification information. Don’t share them. If two-step verification is enabled, you’ll need to complete the authenticator check after email verification to access your account. If you can’t access your authenticator, contact support and explain the issue—don’t include the key or a one-time code in your message.
Signing out clears the account session on this device, but aliases may continue forwarding. To stop messages from a particular source, disable or delete the relevant alias in forwarding management. Closing your browser alone won’t do that.
Your browser’s local storage may keep temporary email addresses and access credentials, expiry information, account credentials, and your sign-in email. Session storage may also record the ID of the last message you opened, so you can return to it after refreshing the page. Demo messages aren’t actual deliveries; deleting a demo only changes the current page state.
This local information isn’t advertising cookies, and it doesn’t mean data exists only on your device. The service still processes actual incoming messages, forwarding settings, and authentication requests. Clearing site data may cut off access to your original temporary inbox, but it won’t automatically delete server-side messages or stop forwarding.
For security, rate limiting, troubleshooting, and service analytics, we may process request times, IP addresses, browser or device information, API responses, and error logs. This notice does not claim that analytics are disabled, IP addresses aren’t collected, or a particular anonymization setup is in place. Contact support if you have questions about how analytics data is handled.
Emails are written by external senders and may include remote images, redirect links, or other tracking content. Opening links, downloading attachments, or allowing remote content to load may reveal information about your visit to the sender or destination service. Check the source first; an email appearing on our site doesn’t mean it has been verified as trustworthy.
We use access controls and technical safeguards appropriate to the service, but no system can be guaranteed risk-free. Avoid leaving credentials on shared devices, and don’t keep important messages only in a temporary inbox.
Deleting messages, stopping forwarding, and signing out affect different data or access relationships; one doesn’t replace another. Before acting, check whether you’re dealing with a temporary inbox, the forwarding archive, or a copy already delivered to your real inbox.
To ask about, correct, or request deletion of data related to you—or to make a request to access or restrict processing under applicable law—email us at support@tempsummit.com. Tell us whether your request concerns a temporary inbox or ongoing forwarding, the relevant dates, and what action you’re seeking. We may need to verify that you control the account or data. We can’t disclose messages to someone just because they know an email address.
Please don’t include sign-in codes, temporary inbox credentials, authenticator keys, or the full text of sensitive emails in your first message. If legal obligations, security needs, or technical limitations affect your request, we’ll explain what we can do in the circumstances. This notice does not promise immediate, complete deletion or a fixed response time that hasn’t been confirmed.
We’ll update the date at the top of this notice when it changes. Check it again before using the service in the future. The service’s scope and usage restrictions are set out separately in our Terms of Service. This privacy notice doesn’t change product limits, such as receive-only inboxes or messages that can’t be recovered after expiry.
Tell us which service you used, when it happened, and what you need. Don’t send verification codes or access credentials.