Expired vs Deleted Temporary Inbox: What Is the Difference?
Both states close an address, but their closure timestamps are represented differently before the same retention-and-purge path.
Expiry and deletion are not the same event
Both states close an address, but their closure timestamps are represented differently before the same retention-and-purge path.
Two closed states, one purge path
EXPIRED and DELETED both represent closed addresses. EXPIRED uses expiresAt as its closure timestamp, while DELETED uses deletedAt; both later feed the same retention-and-purge decision.
For MailOnce Free, expiry or deletion closes the address first. Closed inbox data is retained for exactly 24 hours before it becomes eligible for hard purge by the cleanup worker.
Keep closure and physical purge separate
This is a bounded retention-and-purge policy, not instant deletion at the second the timer reaches zero and not permanent storage. There is currently no public immediate-purge endpoint and no Plus/account retention policy implemented in this phase.
Both states close an address, but their closure timestamps are represented differently before the same retention-and-purge path.
The practical takeaway
The useful privacy model is precise: active use, logical closure, 24-hour closed-data retention, then eligible physical purge. Both states close an address, but their closure timestamps are represented differently before the same retention-and-purge path.
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Use a temporary inbox for tasks that should stay temporary
Create a short-lived inbox, finish the verification or signup, and do not rely on it as a permanent archive.
Create temporary emailRelated privacy & data guides
Continue with the closest topics in the same data-lifecycle cluster.
How MailOnce Handles Temporary Inbox Data
Follow Free inbox data through active use, logical closure, a 24-hour closed-data retention window and physical purge.
Read guideHow Long Does MailOnce Keep an Expired Free Inbox?
Closed Free inbox data is retained for exactly 24 hours before it becomes eligible for hard purge.
Read guideWhat Happens to Your Data When a MailOnce Inbox Expires?
Expiry closes the address first; physical deletion is a later cleanup step rather than an instant timer event.
Read guide