Where to find a verification code in your inbox
Where does the verification code appear?
At the top of the inbox, in a highlighted panel that shows the code, who sent it and when, with a Copy button. You do not have to open the message. New mail appears on its own within a few seconds of arriving, so you can leave the page open while you wait.
Codes usually arrive in seconds
Mail is picked up as it lands. In practice a code shows up in under ten seconds; the panel updates by itself, with no refresh.
If nothing has appeared after a minute:
- Check the address you pasted into the other site — one wrong character sends the code somewhere else entirely.
- Look at the full message list. Some services send a link instead of a number; there is no code to lift out of a link, so the message will be in the list without appearing in the code panel.
- Ask the service to send it again. Many block a second send for 60 seconds.
Why a code is sometimes not highlighted
The code panel only shows a code when it can be certain: a short run of digits or letters that a message presents as a code. A message that spells the code out in a sentence, splits it across a design, or embeds it in an image will not be picked up. The message is still there — open it and the code will be in the body.
If the site refuses the address
Some services keep lists of mail domains they will not accept. If a sign-up form rejects your address outright, generate a new one — a different domain is usually offered — and try again. That happens with every free mail service, and nobody can promise otherwise.
After you have the code
Nothing to clean up. The message stays in the inbox, and so does the code, so if you have to type it twice you can come back for it. If you would rather not keep it, that is fine too: the inbox is yours, and old mail sitting there costs you nothing.
Codes that arrive as links instead
Plenty of services skip codes entirely and send a "confirm your address" link. There is nothing to copy in that case — open the message and use the link. The inbox renders the message safely: scripts are stripped, and remote images stay blocked so the sender does not learn when you opened it.
Why the code is shown before you open the message
Reading a code out of a marketing-designed email is genuinely annoying: the number is often buried between banners. The panel at the top of the inbox exists so the common case takes one tap — see the code, copy it, paste it — and the message itself is there if you want the context.
If a code has expired
Most codes are valid for a few minutes. If the panel shows an old code, look at the time next to it. When it has expired, ask the service to send a new one; the newest code always replaces the old one in the panel.
Related: getting an address without a phone number and using an address for sign-ups.