How plus addressing works
Most big mail providers treat everything between a + and the @ as a label, not part of the mailbox name. Mail to [email protected] goes to [email protected], with the full tagged address still in the To: line. You don't need to set anything up first: invent a tag at the sign-up form and it works.
That gives you two things. You can create a filter for each tag (in Gmail: Settings → Filters → To: [email protected]) that labels, archives or deletes it. And if a newsletter you never subscribed to arrives at [email protected], you know exactly who shared your address.
Which providers support it
| Supported | Gmail and Google Workspace, Outlook.com / Hotmail / Live and Microsoft 365, iCloud Mail, Proton Mail, Fastmail, Zoho Mail, Yandex. |
| Not supported | Yahoo Mail and AOL (Yahoo offers separate "disposable addresses" in its security settings instead), GMX and WEB.DE (which offer extra alias addresses). |
| Your own domain | Depends on the host; most modern ones accept it, but send yourself a test first. |
Plus address, alias or temp mail?
A plus address is the quickest option for sites you actually want to hear from, like shops, airlines or your bank, because replies and password resets reach your real inbox. Its weakness is that it hides nothing: your real address sits in front of the +, and some spam lists strip the tag. For a one-off download, a forum you'll visit once or a free trial, a disposable inbox keeps your real address out of the database entirely. Our guide to temp mail vs email aliases compares the options side by side, and you can get a burner email in one click if that's the better fit.
Questions
Does plus addressing work with Gmail?
Yes. Gmail delivers anything sent to [email protected] to [email protected], and it also ignores dots in the name. Outlook.com, Hotmail, iCloud Mail, Proton Mail, Fastmail and Zoho support the + sign too. Yahoo and AOL don't.
Can spammers just remove the tag?
Yes, and some do. A plus address shows you who leaked your address and makes filtering easy, but it isn't private: your real address is right there before the +. If you don't want a site to have your real address at all, use a temp mail inbox or a forwarding alias service instead.
Why does a site say my plus address is invalid?
The + sign is allowed in email addresses, but some sign-up forms use over-strict checks. You can't change the form; use a different address for that site.
Is my address sent anywhere?
No. The addresses are built by JavaScript in this page. Nothing is stored or uploaded.