Proton Mail Now Lets You Hide Your Real Email Address
Proton Mail is one of the best alternatives to Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail , with end-to-end encryption, tracker blocking, and phishing protection among the features it offers. The free account gives you 1GB of storage and up to 150 messages per day, while paid plans start at $3.99 per month.
The last feature to be added to Proton Mail is the ability to hide your email address: here you set up an email alias that will be provided when you purchase something or sign up for social media, while keeping your actual email address confidential. This is already available in other email clients ( like Apple ) and you can set it up in just a few minutes.
Why hide your email address?
Here’s how email aliases work and why you should use them: You start by creating an alias in your email app, and then use the alias (as opposed to your actual email address) when you fill out a web form, sign up, or want to take advantage of a new digital service or tell someone how to contact you. All messages sent to this alias go to your regular inbox.
Apps, sites and web forms always require us to provide an email address, and the alias system provides some additional protection and privacy, as well as some additional control over your inbox: you can create an email alias for a specific purpose, such as organizing a football match command and then filter all messages coming to that alias.
Another great benefit of using an email alias is that you can opt out at any time. If you want to stop subscribing to a streaming service, you can also delete the email address associated with it; or if a company sends you too much spam, you can simply delete the nickname they provide. If you use separate aliases for everything you sign up for, you’ll also know which companies are sending you too many messages and which ones aren’t.
How to set up aliases in Proton Mail
If you have a paid Proton Mail plan, you can create as many email aliases as you want, and free account users get up to 10 of them. Log into the web version of Proton Mail , then click the shield icon in the sidebar on the right (it will say “Security Center” when you hover over it). Click “Create Alias” to do this.
In the dialog box that appears, you can specify a name for the alias – it is recommended to use a name that indicates what the alias is for, to help you keep track of them. This name is then added to a randomly generated string of text and numbers, which is your actual nickname. You can also add a note to the nickname to help you remember why you created it.
Click “Create” and copy the nickname and you’re done: you can paste your newly created disposable email address into any website or app you sign up for. To access your nicknames and delete those you no longer need, simply click the shield icon inside Proton Mail again and then follow the All Nicknames link.
Other email alias options
Gmail has an email alias feature, but it’s a bit underdeveloped: you can add periods anywhere in your Gmail address and the message will still get to you. Alternatively, you can add a plus sign and whatever else you want after the original address and before the @ (e.g. [email protected] ). This works fine, but you don’t get full control over your nicknames like you do with Proton Mail.
As I mentioned above, Apple offers a Hide My Email service, and it’s quite comprehensive , especially on Apple devices. You’ll find it offered wherever you see the Sign in with Apple option, and you get even more control over your aliases if you pay for iCloud storage. In iCloud on the web, click your profile picture (top right), then iCloud Settings , then iCloud+ Features, and then Hide My Email .
There are quite a few other options. Firefox Relay is one of them: you can use up to five aliases for free, and more if you’re willing to pay (plans start at $1.99 per month). The ability to hide your phone number as well as your email address is coming to Firefox Relay soon, although you’ll need a paid plan to use it.