Email checker (coming soon): is this address real and is it exposed?

Our email checker is coming soon. This page previews what it will do: confirm an address can receive mail, tell you what kind of address it is, and show whether a public avatar is attached. We also plan an optional check against known data breaches.

Soon

Email check is coming soon

Check an address's format, mail servers and disposable or role status, and see if it appears in known breaches. We're finishing it now.

Back to username search

What the email checker will look at

Format. Whether the address is written correctly: one @, a valid local part and a real-looking domain.
Mail servers. Whether the domain publishes mail exchange (MX) records, which it needs to receive email. A domain with no mail servers cannot accept messages.
Disposable address. Whether the domain belongs to a throwaway inbox service. People use these for one-off sign-ups.
Free provider. Whether it is a free webmail address rather than one on a company or personal domain.
Role address. Whether it is a shared mailbox such as info@, support@ or sales@ rather than a person.
Public avatar. Whether a public avatar service has a profile picture (and sometimes a display name) linked to the address. Many sites pull this picture in automatically, which can tie an email to your face across the web.

These checks will tell you whether an address is real and usable. They will not tell you who owns it. No email is sent, and the owner is not notified.

The breach lookup

We plan an optional breach lookup that asks a third-party breach-data provider whether the address appears in known data breaches, listing each breach's date and the kinds of data exposed, such as passwords, names or phone numbers. You don't need to wait for it to act. If you think an address was caught in a breach, change the password for that service and anywhere you reused it, then turn on two-factor authentication. A password manager takes care of keeping every password unique.

Username search by email: what works today

An email username search can mean two things. Finding the accounts an address signed up for is not possible: sites do not reveal it, and no tool can honestly tell you. You can, however, search the username part, the text before the @, because people often reuse it as a handle. The username search works today: run it to see which of 3,450+ sites have a public profile with that name. Results are leads to verify, since a matching handle may belong to someone else.

Privacy

When the email checker launches, nothing you enter will be stored. The address will go to our server only to run the checks and will not be logged. Results will stay in your browser tab and be gone when you close it. If the breach lookup is turned on, it will send the address to the breach-data provider for that single query. See how it works for what happens to a username search today.

Only check addresses you own or may check

Use the email checker on your own addresses, or on addresses you are authorized to check, for example your company's shared inboxes or a sign-up you need to validate. Do not use it to profile private individuals. FreeUsername is not a consumer reporting agency, and results must not be used for decisions about credit, employment, housing or insurance.

Go further

For a wider self-audit, the digital footprint checker walks you through usernames, search engines, old accounts and data brokers. The Email tab on the home page will hold the email checker once it is live, next to the username search. A phone check is coming soon as well.

Frequently asked questions

Is the email checker available now?

Not yet. Email and phone checks are coming soon. The username search and domain check are live today.

What will the email checker check?

The address format, whether the domain has mail servers, whether it is a disposable, free or role address, and whether a public avatar is linked to it. We also plan an optional lookup of known data breaches.

Will it send an email to the address?

No. It will read the domain's public mail records and other public signals. No message is sent and the mailbox owner is not notified.

Will the email address be stored?

No. The address will be used only to run the checks and will not be stored or logged. Results will stay in your browser tab and disappear when you leave.

Can I do a username search by email right now?

Partly. The email checker is not live yet, and no tool can honestly list the sites an address was used to sign up for. What works today: take the part before the @ and run it through the username search, which checks 3,450+ sites for a public profile with that name.

Can I find accounts registered with an email address?

No. Sites do not reveal which email registered an account. To find profiles, search the username part of the address (the text before the @) with our username search, which is live now.

Whose email addresses will I be able to check?

Your own, or ones you are authorized to check, such as addresses in your organization. Do not use it to profile other people.

What should I do if my email appears in a breach?

Change the password on that site and anywhere you reused it, turn on two-factor authentication, and use a password manager so every account gets a unique password.

Related tools and guides

FreeUsername is an independent tool, not affiliated with the WhatsMyName project, Sherlock, Maigret or any site it checks.