Temporary Email You Can Return To

The Close-Tab Problem

The most common complaint about temporary email services is losing access to an inbox. You create a temp email, use it to sign up for something, close the browser tab, and then realize 20 minutes later that you need to check for a follow-up email. You open the service again and get a brand new, empty inbox with a different address. Your emails are gone.

This happens because most temp email services tie your inbox to either the browser tab (gone when you close it) or a short-lived cookie (gone when you clear cookies or wait too long). Some services offer an "extend time" button, but that only works while the tab is still open.

The problem is worse on mobile, where browsers are more aggressive about killing background tabs to save memory. You might switch to another app to copy a verification code and come back to find your temp email tab has been reloaded, giving you a fresh inbox with none of your emails.

This limitation is not just inconvenient — it can leave you stuck. If you used the temp email to sign up for something and the verification email arrives after you lost the inbox, you have no way to complete the signup. You cannot re-register with the same email (it is already taken in their system) and you cannot access the verification link. You are locked out of both the temp email and the service you tried to sign up for.

How NukeMail Preserves Your Session

NukeMail uses a 14-day HTTP-only cookie to persist your session. When you create an inbox, the cookie is set in your browser and renewed every time you visit the site. As long as you return within 14 days (and have not cleared your cookies), you are automatically taken to your existing inbox.

This works across tab closes, browser restarts, and computer reboots. The cookie is not tied to a browser tab — it is a standard browser cookie that persists in your cookie storage. Opening NukeMail in a new tab, a new window, or after restarting your browser all take you back to the same inbox.

The 14-day cookie duration intentionally matches the total lifecycle of a free inbox (24 hours active + 13 days locked). Your cookie and your inbox expire at roughly the same time, so there is no confusing state where your cookie works but your inbox is gone.

Cross-Device Access

Cookies are device-specific — they cannot follow you to a different computer or phone. This is where the access code comes in. Every NukeMail inbox comes with a unique access code (format: NUKE-XXXXXXXXXX) that you can use to access your inbox from any device.

The access code is displayed in your inbox and can be copied or written down. On a different device, you click "Have an access code?" on the NukeMail homepage, paste the code, and you are in. The new device gets its own session cookie, so you stay logged in there too.

This dual system (automatic cookies for same-device, manual access code for cross-device) means you get the convenience of just-works persistence without the privacy compromise of creating an account. You never have to enter personal information to maintain access to your inbox.

What Happens After 24 Hours

After 24 hours, your inbox transitions to a locked state. You can still return to it — your cookie or access code still works — but you can only see email metadata (sender, subject line, timestamp), not the email content. This state lasts for 13 more days.

The locked state is a deliberate design choice. It lets you confirm that an important email arrived without giving full access. If you need to read the content, you can unlock it with a premium upgrade. If you do not need it, you can generate a fresh inbox for free.

After 14 days total, the inbox and all its data are permanently deleted. The access code stops working, the cookie is cleared on the next visit, and you are shown the creation screen with a brief "Your previous inbox has expired" message. There is no way to recover a deleted inbox.

Generating a New Inbox

When you are done with an inbox and want to start fresh, you can generate a new one at any time. This immediately and permanently deletes your current inbox — the token, email address, and all messages are removed from the database. A new token and address are created, and your cookie is updated.

The immediate deletion on "Generate New" is different from the passive expiry flow. When you actively choose to create a new inbox, you are saying you are done with the old one. There is no reason to keep it around in a locked state since you already have access and chose to move on.

A confirmation dialog prevents accidental inbox destruction. You have to explicitly confirm that you want to delete your current inbox and lose access to all received emails. This is the only destructive action in the entire interface, and it is appropriately guarded.