Frequently asked questions
Is Mailbirch free?
Yes. Accounts come with 2 GB of storage and a fair sending limit. Storage and bandwidth cost money, so the site carries advertising rather than charging for the mailbox. Advertisements run in a sandboxed frame that cannot read your mail, and nothing in your messages is used to choose them.
How do I get an address?
Public sign-up is closed at the moment — addresses are issued by the administrator. Write to postmaster@mailbirch.com and one will be created for you. Existing accounts sign in as usual.
Can I use my own mail application?
Yes, that is the point of running a normal IMAP server. Apple Mail, Thunderbird, Outlook, K-9 and the rest all connect; the settings page has the servers, ports and a walkthrough for each client.
How many aliases can I have, and why would I want them?
Five per account, all delivering into the same inbox. Give each website its own alias and a leak identifies itself: when one address starts collecting spam you know exactly which site lost it, and deleting that alias stops the flow without touching your real address.
Do you read my mail?
No. Messages sit on disk so they can be delivered to you and nothing in them is scanned to target advertising. Spam scoring happens as a message arrives and nowhere else.
What happens if I lose my phone with the authenticator on it?
Turning on two-factor authentication hands you ten single-use recovery codes. Any one of them gets you in. Keep them somewhere that is not the phone.
How much can I send?
Two hundred recipients per day per account, which is far more than ordinary correspondence and low enough that a compromised account cannot be used to spam the world.
Can I move my existing mail in?
Yes. Point any IMAP-capable client at both accounts and drag the folders across, or use a tool such as imapsync. Nothing is locked in — you can move it out again the same way.
What happens to a dormant address?
Nothing. Accounts are not recycled, so an address you stop using stays yours.
Why does mail from Mailbirch reach the inbox?
Because the domain is properly authenticated: DKIM signatures, an SPF record, a DMARC policy and correct reverse DNS. The security page explains the details.