One signup address,
several roles along the way

01 · Address roles

An address isn’t an account, and a name isn’t a password.

For example, say you use an alias for a shopping site. You enter mallorder27@letterfwd.com at checkout, and the store’s emails are forwarded to the real inbox linked to your Letterfwd login. These five terms describe different parts of the two addresses.

Real inbox The inbox you normally open

An existing email address where you can receive messages. It’s where you receive Letterfwd passwordless login codes and where mail sent to your aliases is forwarded.

Example Log in with your regular email, then create mallorder27@letterfwd.com The store only needs the alias; you still read order updates in your regular inbox.

Don’t confuse this“Real” doesn’t mean identity-verified. Don’t replace a login email that needs to keep receiving verification codes with a short-lived temporary address.

Alias address The address you give a website

A second email address linked to your real inbox. Letterfwd handles messages sent to a long-term alias according to its current status. When active, it can forward them to your real inbox, with no separate login for each alias.

Examplemallorder27@letterfwd.com is used just for one store. Manage up to 100 aliases in your dashboard, and take action on any you no longer need.

Don’t confuse this An alias isn’t a new email account with its own password, and it doesn’t guarantee anonymity. If you give the same alias to many websites, the recipient address alone won’t tell you where a message came from.

Prefix The part before @

The prefix forms part of the full alias address. When you create an alias here, you can enter a prefix that meets the requirements or leave it blank to have one generated for you.

Examplemallorder27 is the prefix. A custom prefix must start with a letter and be 3–30 characters long. Use letters, numbers, periods, underscores, or hyphens. Reserved names aren’t allowed.

Don’t confuse thisA prefix isn’t secret or your dashboard login. Don’t include information you don’t want to share, such as your name or phone number.

Domain The part after @

The domain identifies the email service that receives messages for the address. The prefix and domain together make up the full address you should give a website.

Exampleletterfwd.com is the domain. Copying just mallorder27 won’t let you receive mail. Copy the full address.

Don’t confuse this Changing the domain in a text field won’t automatically create a working address. Use the address that was successfully created in your dashboard.

Plus address A tag added to your existing email address

Some email providers let you add a +tag before the @ in your existing address to send messages to the same inbox. Support and website signup compatibility depend on your provider and the website.

How it comparesA plus tag isn’t the same as a separate forwarding alias you create in Letterfwd. You can pause or delete a Letterfwd alias on its own; a plus address usually still reveals the main part of your existing address.

Don’t confuse this Adding a tag doesn’t give it a separate on/off switch. If you want to stop receiving mail from a particular website, compare aliases and plus addresses.

02 · How delivery works

“Forwarded” doesn’t mean you’ve seen the email.

An email doesn’t go straight from a website to your screen. It has to be received, checked, and forwarded—and your real inbox may apply its own filters too. When troubleshooting, check the records and status first; don’t rely on whether the message appears on your inbox home screen.

Email forwarding Sending a message on to another address

Letterfwd receives messages sent to your alias and forwards them to your real inbox. People sometimes say “forwarding email” to mean an address used for this purpose—not a separate inbox you need to check every day.

ExampleA store sends a shipping update to your shopping alias, and Letterfwd forwards it to the real inbox linked to your currently logged-in account.

What the record tells you“Forwarded” in the archive means Letterfwd processed the message. It doesn’t guarantee the email reached the recipient’s main inbox, triggered a notification, or was read. Check spam and inbox rules too.

Forwarding failed This message wasn’t forwarded successfully

A rejection, temporary network issue, or other delivery error can result in a failed forwarding record. Use the details in that record to investigate; don’t assume the sending website never sent the email.

What to try Open the message in your dashboard and check the alias, subject, and time. Then check that your real inbox is working. A verification code may have expired; if so, request a new one from the original website.

What the record tells you An archived message doesn’t mean forwarding succeeded, and no archive doesn’t prove the website didn’t send it. If you contact support, share the time and subject—not the verification code.

Spam filtering Classifying incoming mail by risk

The service uses email characteristics and other signals to assess whether a message is spam and handles it according to its rules. Filtering can be wrong: some promotional messages may get through, and legitimate notifications may need checking.

What to try If a notification isn’t in your real inbox, first check its status in the forwarding archive, then make sure the alias is active. Don’t judge whether an email is trustworthy by the sender’s display name alone.

Don’t confuse this Forwarding stops for different reasons: an alias may be paused, or a message may be classified as spam. Records can help you troubleshoot, but a classification alone doesn’t prove that a message is safe or malicious.

03 · Control actions

Pause the address, not your website subscription.

Each control only affects the alias you select. Before changing its status, check whether the address is still used for orders, bills, or account recovery. If you need to keep receiving mail from a service, switch it to another active address first.

ActiveAccepts future messages for forwarding

A newly created, active alias is ready to use. Being active doesn’t bypass spam filtering or guarantee that every message will reach your real inbox.

PauseStops future forwarding for this alias

While paused, incoming messages are discarded rather than forwarded to your real inbox. Other aliases aren’t affected. Pausing doesn’t unsubscribe you from the sender, which may keep sending messages.

ReactivateAccepts messages again

Reactivate a paused alias to resume processing future messages according to its rules. Messages discarded while it was paused won’t be sent later; request a new code from the original website if yours has expired.

DeleteRemove an alias you no longer use

Delete an alias when you’re sure you no longer need it. It isn’t a temporary switch, and you may not be able to recreate the same name later. If you want to keep the address available, consider pausing it instead.

04 · Time and archives

Two clocks, two kinds of records.

The 30-day archive for long-term aliases and the expiry time for temporary inboxes on the home page are different. First check which kind of address you’re using, then decide where to look for messages or whether to extend the inbox.

30-day forwarding archive Online history of messages sent to aliases

Emails sent to forwarding aliases are kept in an online archive for 30 days. In your dashboard, you can view the subject, sender, time, and status. It’s useful for checking past messages, but it isn’t a permanent backup and won’t make an expired verification code valid again.

Limit to keep in mind Messages blocked while an alias was paused may have a corresponding record, but reactivating the alias won’t send them later. Save anything important during the retention period; don’t count on being able to retrieve it afterward.

Temporary inbox expiry The address and its messages are deleted together

The temporary email inbox on the home page works without signing in, lasts 3 hours by default, and can only receive messages. Once it expires, the address and its messages are deleted and can’t be restored. Don’t use it for long-term account recovery.

Don’t confuse this Messages in a temporary inbox aren’t added to the 30-day archive in the long-term forwarding dashboard. To keep viewing them, return to the original temporary inbox before it expires.

Extend Add time to an active temporary inbox

Selecting “Extend by 3 hours” on the home page requests an extra 3 hours, subject to a 24-hour maximum. Check the countdown after the extension succeeds; clicking the button alone doesn’t mean it’s done.

Don’t confuse this Extending an inbox won’t restore expired messages or extend the forwarding archive’s retention period. Switching to a new temporary address creates a new inbox; you can’t keep using the old address.

05 · Login security

You can share an address, not your verification credentials.

You can give websites an alias, but the information below should only be used in verification steps you initiate. Don’t share verification codes, tokens, or authenticator keys with support staff, senders, or unfamiliar websites.

Email verification code Proof that you can receive email at this address

When you log in to Letterfwd without a password, a 6-digit code is sent to the real email address you entered. Enter it only on the Letterfwd login page you opened yourself. If you receive an unsolicited code, don’t share it.

Don’t confuse this An email verification code isn’t an alias address or an authenticator code. The number in the Spotify demo email on the home page is just sample content; it can’t be used to log in to Letterfwd.

Session token A login credential stored in your browser

After verification, your browser uses a token to prove your logged-in identity to Letterfwd, so you don’t have to enter a new code for every action. It isn’t a “support ticket number” to send to support staff.

Security note Don’t share browser storage, request headers, or debug information containing a token. Log out when you’re done on a shared device. Temporary inbox access credentials and your long-term forwarding login are separate.

Two-step verification Verify once more after email verification

Once enabled, you’ll also need an authenticator code after verifying your email. In your dashboard, scan the QR code with an authenticator app such as Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or 1Password, then enter the 6-digit code it generates to confirm setup.

Security note You can configure your authenticator with the QR code or the manual setup key. Don’t share screenshots of either. Starting setup doesn’t mean two-step verification is enabled; check the confirmed status in your dashboard.

Authenticator code A short-lived code generated by an authenticator

The 6-digit code in your authenticator app changes regularly and is used for two-step login verification or related security actions. If it’s about to change, wait for the next code instead of repeatedly trying an old one.

Don’t confuse this An authenticator code isn’t a setup key. The key configures your authenticator; the code is used for a specific verification. Don’t share either with anyone.

06 · From terms to next steps

Know what it’s called, and you’ll know where to go.

You don’t need to remember every term at once. Start with the issue you’re facing and follow a path. When you’re ready to manage aliases, open your separate forwarding account.