Email aliases add a meaningful layer of privacy to everyday online activity by forwarding messages to a primary email address without revealing any identifying information in the alias address itself. The Bitwarden username generator includes a forwarded email alias integration that makes generating and managing these aliases simple.
What is an email alias?
Every time someone creates an account on a website or signs up for a service, the signup process typically requires a functional email address. That address can end up on mailing lists, marketing databases, or in the hands of third parties. An email alias solves this by acting as a separate email address that forwards messages to a primary mailbox, keeping the primary email account private.
To create an email alias, users need an alias service provider. Bitwarden supports SimpleLogin, Addy.io, Firefox Relay, Fastmail, DuckDuckGo, and Forward Email directly, making it simple to create an email alias without exposing a primary email address. An account with one of these services is required, and some offer free tiers worth exploring.
Multiple email aliases can forward to the same inbox, helping users maintain anonymity and simplify inbox management without requiring changes to account settings. Each alias can serve different purposes, making it easy to organize and receive emails in a single main inbox.
Requirements for creating an email alias in Bitwarden
To get started, the following are required:
A Bitwarden account
An account with a supported email alias service
An API access token for that email alias service
An existing email address to receive forwarded messages
This feature is available on the desktop app, web app, browser extension, and mobile app. The steps below walk through using it with the desktop app.
The location of the API token depends on the service and can be tricky to find. For DuckDuckGo, here are the steps:
Go to the Autofill tab on the DuckDuckGo email protection page.
Open the browser developer tools (For example, by using F12 on Windows).
Click the Generate Private Duck Address button and then go to the Network tab in the developer tools window.
Select the Addresses call for the API POST request.
Locate the API authorization item, which will look like authorization: Bearer <TOKEN>, where TOKEN is the authorization token.
Copy the authorization token for use later.
In Firefox Relay, the authorization token is located in Settings, accessible via the profile icon. The API Key is listed directly in the Settings window.
Beyond a forwarded email account, several email service providers, including Google Workspace, can also be used to create aliases across different accounts, including a primary Gmail address or any additional email addresses linked to a user account.
How to add an alias in Bitwarden
With an API token and a Bitwarden account ready, the next step is generating an alias. To create a new alias, open Bitwarden and create a new vault entry. In the new login setup window, click the Username Generator icon. In the resulting window, click to expand the Options section.
Under Options, select Forwarded email alias, then choose your preferred email alias service from the Service drop-down.
Under API Access Token, paste the copied token. Once Bitwarden verifies the token, click the two-circle arrow icon at the top of the window to generate a new alias email address. Click Use this email to save the username. The username field will now display the forwarded alias address. Fill in the rest of the login entry details and Save.
That completes the process. The generated alias can now be used to create an account on websites and services while keeping your primary email address private. Users can repeat these steps to add an alias for each new service, building a collection of unique email aliases that all forward to one primary account.
Get started with Bitwarden
Create email aliases today with a free Bitwarden account, or start a free 7-day trial of a business plan to keep teams and organizations secure online.