To send an anonymous email without sharing your personal address, send from a separate account with a non-identifying address and display name, or use a masked email address. These methods hide your usual address from recipients, but they do not guarantee that your identity stays hidden from every possible observer.
The short version
- Separate account: Choose an address and display name that do not identify you, then send from that account.
- Apple Mail: With iCloud+, select Hide My Email when composing to one recipient.
- Email relays: Send through the service’s relay address so your personal address is replaced before delivery.
- Replies: Keep the relay-generated destination intact when replying to a forwarded message.
| Method | What you need | Main catch |
|---|---|---|
| Separate Proton Mail account | A new username and display name | Hides your personal address without guaranteeing anonymity |
| Apple masked sending | iCloud+ | One recipient in iPhone, Mac and web workflows |
| DuckDuckGo Email Protection | A Duck Address and forwarding inbox | New messages need an encoded destination |
| Conventional iCloud alias | iCloud Mail with a primary address | Choose a non-identifying Full Name |
| Outlook.com alias | A personal Microsoft account | Shares your existing account |
| SimpleLogin | A connected mailbox | New conversations require an eligible paid entitlement |
| Proton Pass alias | A paid sending entitlement and linked mailbox | Create a contact before starting a conversation |
| 10 Minute Mail | An open temporary mailbox page | Receive a message before replying |
| Fastmail Masked Email | Fastmail with Masked Email | Select the masked sender for a new message |
| Firefox Relay replies | Firefox Relay Premium | Keep the relay address as the only recipient |
| Tor with Proton Mail | Tor Browser and a separate account | Adds network privacy without changing your sender address |
Create a separate sending account
A separate account gives you a different address for starting conversations. Choose a username and display name that do not identify you, and send from that account rather than your personal mailbox.
For a Proton Mail account, open Proton’s signup page and choose Free. Enter a new username and password, then select Start using Proton Mail now. Complete any human verification requested.
Losing your recovery phrase may permanently prevent access to your account, so save the recovery kit. Check the confirmation box that reads "I understand that if I lose my recovery phrase, I may permanently lose access to my account." Select Continue, enter a non-identifying display name, continue, and select Mail.
Sign in only through Proton’s own app or website, and never share a code, password, or remote access with someone who contacts you. Send your message from the new account, using its non-identifying address and display name.
Send a masked message with Apple Mail
With an iCloud+ subscription, including eligible Family Sharing access, you can select Hide My Email while composing a message. Apple generates a relay address for the correspondence. The iPhone, Mac and iCloud.com sending workflows support one recipient per message.
On an iPhone using iOS 26 or iOS 27, open Mail and tap the compose icon. Enter one recipient and a subject, tap From twice, then select Hide My Email. Write and send your message.
On an iPad using iPadOS 26 or iPadOS 27, open Mail and tap the compose icon. Enter one recipient and a subject, tap From twice, then select Hide My Email. Write and send your message.
On a Mac with iCloud+, open Mail, click the new-message icon, and enter one recipient and a subject. Hover over From, open its menu, and choose Hide My Email. Write your message and click the send icon.
For browser access, sign in to iCloud Mail, select the compose icon, and enter one recipient in To. Select Cc/Bcc or From, open the From menu, and choose Hide My Email. Enter your subject and message, then select the send icon.
To reply on an iPhone, open the message delivered through your hidden address, tap the reply icon, and select Reply. Inspect From to see the address your recipient will receive, then write and send your response.
To receive these messages in iCloud webmail, forwarding must point to your iCloud Mail or custom-domain address. Once a message arrives there, open it and use its reply control to respond.
Send through DuckDuckGo from your usual inbox
DuckDuckGo Email Protection lets you send using a personal Duck Address through your registered forwarding inbox. To set it up on iOS or Android, open the DuckDuckGo browser and select Settings > Email Protection. On desktop, visit DuckDuckGo Email Protection using the DuckDuckGo browser or a supported browser extension, then set up your Duck Address and forwarding inbox.
Start a new message from the inbox currently registered as your forwarding address. Instead of putting the recipient’s ordinary address in To, enter an address that combines their destination with your personal Duck username. For [email protected] writing to [email protected], the destination is [email protected].
Write and send normally, and DuckDuckGo relays the message using your Duck Address. For a reply, open a message forwarded through your Duck Address and reply from your forwarding inbox, keeping the relay-generated recipient address intact. The response uses the Duck Address that received the original message.
If sending fails, check that you are composing from the inbox currently registered as your forwarding address. DuckDuckGo replies are not supported when that address uses a custom domain without an SPF record. If that condition applies to your mailbox, you can send from your separate account instead.
Use an alias in iCloud Mail or Outlook.com
An alias gives you another sending address within an existing account. Choose a distinct address rather than an identifying variation of your usual one. For iCloud aliases, also choose a Full Name that does not disclose your identity.
At iCloud Mail in a browser, open the settings icon, select Settings, then choose Add Alias. Complete Alias Address, Label and Full Name, then select Create. Use that alias as the sender in Mail.
For a personal Microsoft account, open its how-you-sign-in page and select Add email. Create a new Outlook.com address for the existing account. This alias shares your account rather than creating a separate mailbox.
In the Outlook.com compose window, select Options > Show From. Open the arrow beside From and choose your alias. If it is not listed, select Other email address... and enter the authorized alias, then compose and send.
Outlook.com’s former connected-account feature no longer supports adding or syncing a third-party account. For a third-party mailbox, send through the provider directly or a supported Outlook desktop or mobile account. For another address within your personal Microsoft account, use the Outlook.com alias workflow above.
Start conversations through an existing relay service
If you already use SimpleLogin, starting a new conversation requires an eligible paid entitlement, such as SimpleLogin Premium or Proton Pass Plus or higher. Locate your alias in SimpleLogin and select Contacts. Enter the intended recipient’s email address to create a reverse alias.
In your connected mailbox, compose a message addressed to that reverse alias instead of the recipient’s ordinary address. Send normally through your existing mail app or webmail. For an ordinary reply, open the forwarded message and select Reply, keeping its supplied reverse-alias destination.
With a paid Proton Pass, Proton Workspace or Proton Visionary entitlement, open pass.proton.me, select an alias, then choose Contacts > Create contact. Enter the recipient and select Save. Click the contact’s email icon to open a pre-addressed message, then send from your linked mailbox.
If you need to compose in a different mail client, use the contact’s three-dot menu to copy its forwarding address. Put that address in your message’s recipient field and send from the linked mailbox. Proton says your real address may appear in your own composer, but the relay replaces it before delivery.
Use a temporary mailbox for a reply
10 Minute Mail works for receiving a message and replying from its temporary address. Open 10minutemail.com, copy the generated address, and keep the page open. Once a message arrives there, open it to reply.
Select 10 more minutes! to extend the session when needed. This workflow starts with an incoming message; for a new conversation, use one of the separate-account, alias or relay sending methods above.
Fix sender and reply address problems
If your iCloud alias displays an identifying name, check the Full Name you chose when creating it. For a separate Proton Mail account, use a non-identifying display name as well as a distinct address. Hiding your personal email address alone does not guarantee anonymity.
For relay replies, preserve the destination supplied by the forwarded message. For direct alias sending, inspect From and choose the intended address before sending. Entering an arbitrary address in Mac Mail does not create a working alias; your provider must authorize sending from it.
Gmail’s alternate-sender feature can expose your original Gmail address in some recipient mail clients and automated messages. If you previously sent a third-party address through Gmail, move sending to that provider’s own app or website, or a supported mail client, as Google retires third-party sending through Gmail. Gmail-to-Gmail sending and Google Workspace aliases are excluded from that retirement, but the alternate-sender feature still carries the disclosure warning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you send from a masked address in Fastmail?
Yes, you can create one in Fastmail’s web interface under Settings > Masked Email > New Masked Email address. Add a description and select Save. When composing, open the sender dropdown, select Show all, and choose the masked address. Replies to messages received through that address use the masked identity.
Can Firefox Relay hide your address when you reply?
Firefox Relay Premium supports replies to forwarded messages identified by [via Relay] in the subject. Reply using your normal mail client, keeping [email protected] as the only recipient, because adding Cc or Bcc recipients can expose your real address. Send the reply within three months of receiving the original message.
Does Tor replace the sender address on an email?
Tor adds network privacy, but it does not replace or hide the sender address you choose. Proton Mail supports access through its onion service using Tor Browser on desktop or Android. You still need to send from a non-identifying address.
What happens when you disable or delete an iCloud alias?
Apple says that when a conventional iCloud alias is turned off or deleted, email sent to that alias is returned to the sender. Turning an alias off is temporary, while deleting it is permanent. Neither step conceals an address you already disclosed.