Help — How to use TempoMail

Everything you need to know about your temporary email inbox.

Why email, still?

It's 2026. We have WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger, Slack, Discord… and yet, every time you sign up for a service, what do they ask for? An email address.

That's because email is the only truly open, decentralized, universal communication protocol left. It doesn't belong to any company. No one can shut it down. It works across every platform, every device, every country. It's the digital passport that all other services rely on.

But that universality comes at a cost: giving your real email address to every website means spam, tracking, and data leaks. That's exactly why TempoMail exists — giving you the power of email without the baggage.

Getting started

Choose a name for your inbox (or let us generate one for you) and pick how long you want to keep it: 1 hour, 24 hours, 7 days, or 30 days.

A 6-character secret code is generated and shown to you ONCE. Write it down! This code is the only way to access your inbox. There is no recovery.

Use your new address (e.g. MyInbox@tempomail.id) anywhere you need a disposable email — sign up forms, newsletters, one-time verifications.

Come back anytime, enter your secret code, and read your emails. A live countdown shows how much time is left before your inbox expires.

Retention periods

When you create an inbox, you choose how long to keep it. Once the time is up, your emails are permanently deleted.

Option	Duration	Best for
1h	1 hour	Quick verification codes
24h	24 hours	Sign-up confirmations
7d	7 days (default)	General use, trials
30d	30 days	Ongoing conversations

Security & Privacy

All emails are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM. Nobody can read your emails on our server — not even us.

Your inbox is protected by a secret code that only you know. It is hashed (SHA-256) in our database — we never store it in plain text.

Dangerous content is filtered: scripts are removed, executable attachments (.exe, .bat...) are blocked, and tracking pixels in CSS are neutralized.

Emails larger than 5 MB and emails from invalid senders are automatically rejected before they reach your inbox.

Sharing your inbox

Click the share button next to your email address to generate a temporary share link. The link is valid for 2 minutes and can only be used once.

You can also use the QR code button to display a QR code of your email address — perfect for sharing on a phone or in person.

The copy button copies your full email address to the clipboard with one click.

Inbox page icons

Quick reference for the action buttons next to your email address.

Copy address

Copies your inbox address to the clipboard so you can paste it into a signup form.
Share access

Generates a one-time link that grants another device access to this inbox. Valid for 2 minutes, single use.
QR code

Displays a QR code of your inbox address — handy to scan from your phone instead of typing.

REST API

TempoMail provides a free, read-only API. Use your 6-character inbox token to authenticate. Rate limit: 30 requests per minute.

# List messages in your inbox

curl https://tempomail.id/api/v1/inbox/myinbox/messages \

-H "Authorization: Bearer ABCD12"

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/v1/inbox/:name	Inbox info (message count, expiry)
GET /api/v1/inbox/:name/messages	List messages (up to 50, newest first)
GET /api/v1/inbox/:name/messages/:id	Read a message (plain text + HTML)

All API requests are rate-limited to 30 per minute per IP address.

Rate limits

To protect the service and ensure fair use, all requests are rate-limited per IP address. If you exceed the limits, you will receive a 429 "Too Many Requests" error.

Action	Limit
Browsing pages	50 req/s
API requests	30 req/min
Creating inboxes, sharing, deleting	15 req/min
Entering secret code	20 req/min

Repeated abuse (too many errors or excessive requests) may result in your IP being temporarily or permanently blocked.

Frequently asked questions

Is TempoMail free?

Yes, TempoMail is completely free. Create as many inboxes as you need.

Can I send emails from TempoMail?

No. TempoMail is receive-only. You cannot send or reply to emails.

I lost my secret code. Can you recover it?

No. Your secret code is hashed in our database. We cannot recover it. This is by design — it ensures that only you can access your inbox.

What happens when my inbox expires?

All your emails are permanently deleted. The inbox name becomes available for someone else to use. This cannot be undone.

Are my emails really encrypted?

Yes. Every email is encrypted with AES-256-GCM the moment it arrives, before it is stored on disk. Emails are only decrypted when you view them with your secret code.

Can someone else read my emails if they know my address?

No. Knowing the email address is not enough. You need the 6-character secret code to access the inbox.

Is there a mobile app?

Not yet. TempoMail works great in any mobile browser. A dedicated app may come in the future.