How to Create a Yahoo Email Alias

Looking to get a second email address? Wish you could sign up for shops and newsletters without the risk of getting spam forever? Find out here how to create a Yahoo Mail email alias and disposable addresses you can disable at an instant without losing your account.

First, Appear Important

Among the classic strategies of impression management is one that casually—almost imperceptibly—lends you an air of important mystique in any office. Strategically on your desk, goes the hint, position a folder with the the following label:

[CONFIDENTIAL]

For an important email address, how about strictly-confidential@yahoo.com?

How to Create an Alias Email Address in Yahoo Mail (and a Disposable Email Address)

Set a Base Name for Your Disposable Yahoo Email Aliases

To set up the base name that will be used for all aliases to your Yahoo Mail account:

1. Click the Settings Menu gear icon.
2. Select More Settings.
3. Go to the Mailboxes category.
4. Now click Add under Disposable email addresses.
5. Now type the base username for your disposable Yahoo email addresses under Set base name.
   Base and extension: All Yahoo email aliases look like this: {base}-{extension}@yahoo.com; with the base, you choose the former (base) part, when you create an alias, you can pick the latter (the extension).
   Uniqueness: Your base name cannot be the same as your Yahoo username.
   Important: Once set, you cannot change the base name for your Yahoo email account’s alias addresses.
6. Click Next.

Send a Message from a Yahoo.com Alias Address

To send a message using an alias address you set up in Yahoo Mail (using a browser or the Yahoo Mail app):

1. Tap the name or email address in the From: line when you write an email.
2. Select the Yahoo alias address you want to use for sending this message.
   Default: You can also make any alias the default for new messages; see below.

Delete (Dispose of) a Yahoo Email Alias

To delete a disposable email address in Yahoo Mail:

1. Open your Yahoo Mail Mailboxes settings. (See above.)
2. Now select the alias you want to delete unter Disposable email addresses.
3. Click Delete address.
4. Now click Confirm to confirm the deletion.

You will no longer receive emails sent to the alias address, and you can no longer send messages using it in the From: line from Yahoo Mail.

How to Create an Alias Email Address in Yahoo Mail (and a Disposable Email Address): FAQ

Can I make the Yahoo email aliases the same as my Yahoo email address, only with an extension?

No, the base name for disposable Yahoo email addresses (i.e., aliases) needs to be different from the account’s username.

What you can do, of course, is the following:

1. Set up a Yahoo mail account with a username and address you do not intend to use.
2. Pick the desired “username” as your alias base name.
   Note: You will not be able to use the base name alone.
   Example: If you set up me as the base name you can create
   + me-124@yahoo.com and
   + me-me@yahoo.com,
   but you cannot receive and send emails using
   – me@yahoo.com.

How should I use a Yahoo alias as a disposable email address?

If you choose to employ a Yahoo alias address as a disposable email address, it is best to:

• Create a new and unique alias for each sender.
  Example: Create an alias for each shop and each newsletter.
• Use a meaningful extension or description that links the alias to the sender.
  Note: This lets you identify the alias easily.
• Never use an alias for more than one contact or sender.
• Disable an alias as soon as it has been misused (e.g., starts receiving junk email, or will not let you unsubscribe effectively) to start blocking emails sent to it.

Can I make an alias the default sending address?

Yes. To configure an alias as your default email address for sending in Yahoo Mail:

1. Click the Settings Menu icon in Yahoo Mail in a desktop browser.
2. Follow the More Settings link.
3. Go to the Writing email category.
4. Under Default sending address, select the alias you want to use as your default address for new messages.
   Tip: You can, of course, always select a different alias—or your account’s default email address—for sending individual emails.

Can I filter mail received at an alias address?

Yes. To set up a filter that files incoming emails sent to a Yahoo Mail alias address:

1. Click the Settings Menu icon in Yahoo Mail.
2. Select More Settings.
3. Go to the Filters category.
4. Click Add new filters.
5. Under Set rules, choose To/CC.
6. Choose contains.
7. Type your Yahoo alias address over Type a filter value.
8. Choose an action for the filter and click Save.

Will deleting an alias also delete emails received at the address?

No.

Yahoo Mail will not delete messages you have received through an alias in the past.

When you disable an alias address, future messages addressed to that alias will not reach your account, however.

What do senders receive when they mail a deleted Yahoo email alias?

Senders who email an alias address you have deleted receive an error message.

Specifically, they receive the SMTP error

• 554 delivery error: dd Not a valid recipient

during attempted delivery.

Can I restore a deleted alias address?

Yes.

If you have accidentally deleted a Yahoo Mail alias, you can reinstate the address and make it work again:

• Create a new alias using the same extension. (See above.)

Messages that have been sent while the alias was not active are lost and will not be delivered to the inbox, but future emails will arrive.

(How to create an email alias address in Yahoo Mail tested with a desktop browser; updated November 2023)