How To Set Up and Use an Email Alias
- Burton Kelso, Tech Expert
- Oct 28
- 4 min read
In today's digital world, managing your email can quickly become overwhelming, leading to a flooded inbox and privacy concerns. An email alias is a powerful yet often underutilized tool that can drastically simplify your online life. Think of an email alias as a temporary forwarding address: it's a different name or address that directs mail straight to your main email account without revealing your primary address. Whether you want to sort and filter newsletters, protect your identity from spammers, or simply manage professional and personal communication with ease, learning how to set up and use an email alias is an essential step toward achieving inbox zen and taking control of your digital security. Here's what you need to know.
The traditional method of separating your email involves setting up multiple accounts. While this is effective, it involves you going through the process of logging in and out of multiple accounts. Using the aliases that many web-based email services offer is a much better approach, as you only have to deal with one email account.
Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Apple allow you to set up aliases, but each has its own method.
Set up aliases in Outlook.com: Here's how to set them up:Add an email address
Sign in to your Microsoft account, if prompted. Go to Add an alias.
Under Add an alias, do one of the following:
Create a new Outlook.com email address and add it as an alias.
Add an existing email address as an alias.
Select Add alias.
Yahoo Mail: You can setup three aliases in Yahoo for free. Here's how:
Click the Settings icon | click More Settings.
Click Mailboxes.
Click Add under "Temporary email addresses."
In the "nickname" field (under "Create a permanent nickname"), enter an available nickname.
- Once this is set, it can't be changed.
Click Next.
Add a keyword and a description (optional).
Click Save.
iCloud: Apple allows you to create up to 3 aliases. Here's how:
Go to icloud.com/mail, then sign in to your Apple Account (if necessary).
Select at the top of the Mailboxes list, then choose Settings.
In Account settings, select Add Alias, then provide the requested information:
Alias Address: The text you provide becomes the email address (alias@icloud.com). An alias must contain between 3 and 20 characters.
Label: Aliases are listed alphabetically by label.
Full Name: The name you provide appears in the From field of the emails you send.
Select Create.
Creating Gmail Aliases. Google's Gmail allows two different ways to create aliases. Here's how:
Head over to admin.google.com (not your inbox, this is not a setting in your email this is under your username, so admin.google.com)
Click “create an alternate email address (or email alias)” in the User panel
Type in the user (or which email address) you want to create this email alias for
Once selected, click “Proceed”
Once that loads, it will drop you right to the alternate email addresses section
Click to type in your new desired email address
Once you are done, just hit “Save” and you can then see your alternate email address list
You can also be creative with your aliases because Google ignores two things in any email address: dots and anything after a plus sign.
For instance, if your primary address is johnqpublic@gmail.com, then john.q.public@gmail.com, and j.o.h.n.qpublic@gmail.com will also flow into your inbox.
Alternatively, you can add tags using the + symbol to create useful aliases such as johnqpublic+shopping@gmail.com, johnqpublic+travel@gmail.com, johnqpublic+newsletters@gmail.com.
There’s no limit to the number of aliases you can create, but the power of using them is harnessed with filters.
Google's Aliases let you instantly create meaningful context around the emails you receive:
Sort Automatically: Set Gmail filters to label, archive, or prioritize messages based on the alias.
Spot Data Leaks: If you get spam at johnqpublic+contestentry@gmail.com, you know who sold your info.
Simplify Unsubscribing: Use a +promo tag and set up a filter to archive or delete anything sent to it automatically.
Email aliases are one of the easiest ways to cut through the clutter and get more control over your inbox. It’s a low-tech solution with high-impact results that is so easy to set up and use.
If you're using another email service, check your settings in the mailbox area, as you might have similar tools available.
Hopefully, this will give you tips to help you create aliases to cut down on the amount of junk mail in your email inbox. If you enjoyed this post, let me know in the comments below. If you have any questions, please reach out via email or on social media. I'm always available.
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