Microsoft Launches Throwaway Hotmail Addresses

We all have at least one spammy email account that we use to register for forums, sign up for newsletters and post comments on various different websites. You’d never dream of polluting your “real” email address with all that junk, so it’s just easier to have a decoy for all the less important stuff.

Microsoft knows we do this and now Redmond wants to help us. Hotmail is getting a new feature that allows “email enthusiasts” to create multiple email addresses that can be managed from their every day email inbox. No logging in and out of five different accounts -- you can do it all from your main inbox. Right now, Microsoft is limiting the number of alias accounts a user can add to five per year.

“[...] there are times when you simply don’t want to give out any part of your real email address – that’s where our new alias feature helps you out,” writes Microsoft’s Dharmesh Mehta. “Email aliases let you create completely different email addresses that you can use to receive email into your primary account without anyone knowing what your primary email address is.”

  • Be0wulf22
    The point of having a 'spam' email account is so the spam DOESN'T come into our primary email!
    Reply
  • quovatis
    Gmail has forwarding. Microsoft can finally match it.
    Reply
  • hellwig
    About time someone came up with this. I just can't bring myself to use hotmail, though, not after it was so crappy for so many years.

    I remember when Yahoo let you add a second address to your account; it was maybe 5 years ago. Still, it wasn't a temporary address thing, more a realization on Yahoo!'s part that people didn't want to be stuck using "hotlips11345553" as their email address forever. It would definitely be cool if Yahoo rolled-this feature out, but considering there's no IMAP access and POP3 requires a $15/year upgrade, I doubt they're going to jump right on this.
    Reply
  • jsheridan
    wouldn't it be easier just to come up with better spam or junk filters so we don't get the emails in the first place?
    Reply
  • quovatisGmail has forwarding. Microsoft can finally match it.Lmao, don't you know what Microsoft Outlook is?
    Reply
  • andy5174
    Be0wulf22The point of having a 'spam' email account is so the spam DOESN'T come into our primary email!
    9271096 said:
    wouldn't it be easier just to come up with better spam or junk filters so we don't get the emails in the first place?

    “Email aliases let you create completely different email addresses that you can use to receive email into your primary account without anyone knowing what your primary email address is.”
    Reply
  • lawson raider
    GotoMyTrashBin@hotmail.com LOL
    Reply
  • jhansonxi
    If I filled out a web form that required an email address, and I had no intention to ever look at emails from the site, I've always grabbed some random hotmail address and entered that instead. :D
    Reply
  • rhino13
    What is this? Microsoft becoming relevent again?
    Reply
  • eklipz330
    rhino13What is this? Microsoft becoming relevent again?wow what kinda fanboy response is that? aside from the kin, they've been releasing some pretty decent stuff the past few years

    but hotmail makes them relevant? smfh
    Reply