Short, straight answers to the questions people actually ask about keeping a free email address. Every guide is written for one question, and says plainly where this service does not fit.
The address you create on the home page is meant to be kept, not thrown away after ten minutes — so most of these guides are about the second and third time you use it: getting back into an inbox weeks later, finding a code that has not appeared yet, and deciding which sign-ups an address like this belongs in.
Why some addresses get refused, and how to pick one that behaves like an ordinary account.
If you only read one thing
Two facts explain almost every question below. First, these addresses receive only — nothing can be sent from them, which is what keeps the mail domains working for everyone. Second, the address is the only key: there is no password, so anyone holding the address can open the inbox. Use it for sign-ups, codes, downloads and newsletters; use an ordinary account for anything that holds money or identity.
Still stuck? The FAQ has the short answers, and the how-it-works page walks through the tool step by step.