One-click private aliases
on every signup form

Get going in two minutes

Four short steps. The hardest one is opening the extension popup.

1. 1

   Install the extension

   Add EmailAlias to your browser from the store grid above. After install, you'll see a small EmailAlias icon in your browser toolbar — click it to open the popup. (Pin it from the puzzle-piece menu if it's hiding.)
2. 2

   Sign in

   Two sign-in modes:

   • Magic link — enter your email, click the link in the message we send, and the popup picks up where you left off. Works on every plan.
   • API key (Premium) — paste an ea_live_ key from Settings → API Keys. No email round-trip; useful when you sign in on a fresh machine.

   Your sign-in is local: tokens and the alias cache are stored in chrome.storage.local, never sent anywhere except authenticated requests to emailalias.io/api.

3. 3

   Create an alias on any signup form

   Visit any site's signup form. A small purple-circle badge appears next to the email field. Click it: a fresh alias is generated, the popup confirms, and the address is both copied to your clipboard and pasted into the field. Mail to that alias forwards to your real inbox.

   If you already have an alias for this site (from another browser or another machine), the extension reuses it instead of creating a duplicate — your hostname-to-alias map is capped at 500 entries and stays in sync via your account.

4. 4

   Manage and audit aliases

   Open the popup to:

   • Search across all your aliases
   • Create a custom-prefix or tagged alias (label.tag@domain)
   • Disable a noisy alias to drop incoming mail
   • Manage Premium spam filter allow/block lists per alias
   • Jump to your full dashboard for analytics, exposure events, and custom domains

Three ways to create an alias

Use whichever fits the moment.

Settings

Right-click the toolbar icon and choose Options (or open the popup → Settings) to configure:

What the extension can — and can't — do

Each requested permission has one purpose. The extension does not phone home, track browsing, or read page content. Security details →

• Access on all sites

  Required so the content script can detect email fields on any signup form. The script reads only input attributes (type, name, placeholder, label). It never reads page text, input values, or browsing history. Self-excludes from emailalias.io and password-manager pages.

• Storage

  Stores your API key or sign-in tokens, an alias cache, and a hostname-to-alias map (capped at 500 entries) so revisits reuse the existing alias. Three small preferences (default domain, default destination, telemetry) live in chrome.storage.sync.

• Active tab

  Only used when you explicitly invoke the extension — clicking the badge, pressing Ctrl+Shift+E, or using the right-click menu. Reads the tab's URL to derive the hostname for labeling the alias. Never used to inject scripts proactively.

• Context menus

  Registers a single right-click menu item: "Create EmailAlias for this site." That's it.

• Notifications

  Single OS toast after a keyboard or context-menu action, confirming the alias text. Never used for marketing or re-engagement.

• No remote code

  The extension contains no eval, no Function(), no importScripts, no dynamic import() of URLs. All JavaScript is bundled at build time with esbuild.

Frequently asked questions

• Why isn't the badge showing up on a signup form?

  The extension self-excludes from emailalias.io itself and from password-manager domains. On a few sites, email fields are heavily obfuscated — try clicking the toolbar icon and using the popup to create an alias manually, then paste it. If it consistently fails on a popular site, email hello@emailalias.io with the URL.

• Does the extension see what I type or read pages?

  No. The content script only inspects input element attributes (type, name, placeholder, label) to decide whether to show a badge. It doesn't read input values, page text, or browsing history. The API is only contacted after you explicitly click the badge, the toolbar icon, the keyboard shortcut, or the right-click menu.

• Can I use the extension without an account?

  No — the extension is a client for your EmailAlias account. Sign up for the free plan at emailalias.io if you don't have one yet; the free plan includes 5 aliases.

• What's the difference between magic-link sign-in and an API key?

  Magic link is the standard flow: enter your email in the popup, click the link in the email, and the popup picks up where you left off. Magic link works on every plan. API keys are a Premium feature: paste an ea_live_ key from your dashboard for instant sign-in across machines without the email round-trip.

• Does the extension sync my aliases between browsers?

  Yes. The extension stores your aliases by querying your account, so signing in on a second browser (or device) gives you the same list. Local caching keeps things instant; the extension refreshes the cache automatically when it goes stale.

• How do I use the keyboard shortcut to create an alias?

  Press Ctrl+Shift+E (Cmd+Shift+E on Mac) on any page. The extension creates a fresh alias for the current site, copies it to your clipboard, and shows an OS notification confirming the alias text. Useful when the badge isn't showing or you want an alias before reaching the form.

• What does the right-click menu do?

  Right-click anywhere on a page and pick "Create EmailAlias for this site." The extension generates an alias labeled with the current hostname and copies it to your clipboard — same outcome as the keyboard shortcut, no signup form required.

More questions? Browse the full FAQ or contact support.