What is a burner email address?

“Burner email” is casual shorthand for a throwaway address: one you create for a single purpose and expect to lose. The rest of the internet calls the same thing disposable email, temp mail, or 10-minute mail.

What it does well

• Receives a verification code or link without exposing your real inbox.
• Keeps marketing mail out of the address you actually read.
• Requires no account and leaves nothing to clean up.

What it cannot do

A burner address is not recoverable. Once it expires, password resets and security alerts have nowhere to go. That is fine for a one-off trial, and a serious problem for anything holding money, identity, or data you need later.

Good defaults

1. Use a temporary inbox for a one-time signup.
2. Use a permanent address (or an alias that forwards to it) for anything you intend to keep.
3. Never send secrets or personal documents through a throwaway address — these inboxes are public by design.

The word “burner” is the point: it is meant to be disposable. Choose it when disposal is what you want.