Definition
💡 An alias email address is an alternate address used to forward messages to the primary email address. It is used to keep that primary address from being exposed while still delivering messages to the same mailbox. Think of an alias email address and primary email address like a nickname and legal name.
Why should I use an email alias?
You can set up and use an email alias for things like signing up for newsletters or completing registration forms to keep your primary address private.
Additionally, an alias email can keep your primary address from being shared or sold to companies and also allows you to set up inbox rules or filters for messages sent to the alias address.
How does an email alias work and what does an email alias do
When you create an alias email address, it is connected on the backend to your primary address. Messages sent to the alias address arrive in the inbox for your primary address. This allows you to see all messages for the alias and primary address in one location.
The “alias” part of the email address is the portion before the domain (in front of the @ symbol). For instance, alias@yahoo.com.
If you send or reply to a message using an alias, it is that address that the recipient sees without any association to your primary email address.
Example
You may want to receive marketing messages from a particular company, but don’t want to use your primary email address. You can create an alternate address like my-alias@yahoo.com and see messages sent to that address when you sign into your primary Yahoo Mail as my-primary@yahoo.com.How to create an email alias
Each service provider has a different process for creating an email alias. As an example, you can set up an alias in Yahoo Mail by following these steps.
- Sign into Yahoo Mail and select the Settings icon (gear) on the top right.
- Choose Mailboxes in the left-hand menu.
- Below Temporary Email Addresses, click Add.
- Follow the instructions to the right and subsequent prompts to create the alias.
