How 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.
Quick answer
Closed Free inbox data is retained for exactly 24 hours before it becomes eligible for hard purge.
The Free retention boundary is exact
The documented Free policy keeps closed inbox data for exactly 24 hours. Eligibility uses the database closure timestamp, so the retention boundary is server-controlled rather than supplied by the browser.
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.
Closed Free inbox data is retained for exactly 24 hours before it becomes eligible for hard purge.
The practical takeaway
The useful privacy model is precise: active use, logical closure, 24-hour closed-data retention, then eligible physical purge. Closed Free inbox data is retained for exactly 24 hours before it becomes eligible for hard purge.
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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 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 guideDoes MailOnce Delete Emails After an Inbox Expires?
Messages are part of the inbox-owned data graph removed when an eligible closed Free inbox is physically purged.
Read guide