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Home /Knowledge Base /Getting started with ProtonMail/Sign Up/How to create a free email account

How to create a free email account

You have decided to see what Proton is all about. The first step in taking back your digital privacy is creating a free email account.

Getting started with Proton is a simple procedure that takes a couple of minutes. You can usually do this anonymously without the need to provide us with an email address or phone number (although in some cases we may require human verification to prevent abuse).  

ProtonMail free plan

ProtonMail offers free email addresses and accounts to ensure everyone has the opportunity to use the most secure email service available.

You can use register for your free address here:

Create Account

Free encrypted email service

Your email address will be used as your identifier to send and receive secure emails for years to come. Your emails will automatically use end-to-end encryption when communicating with other Proton users and you have the option to encrypt the emails for non-ProtonMail recipients as well.

All messages in your ProtonMail mailbox are stored with zero-access encryption. This means we cannot read any of your messages or hand them over to third parties. Subject lines and recipient/sender email addresses are encrypted, but not end-to-end encrypted.

Protect your online privacy

For increased security, you can use the email expiry feature to set an expiry date for all the emails that you send.

With a free email account, you can also receive emails to an unlimited number of aliases by using a “+” symbol after your username in your email address.

ProtonMail does not serve third-party ads, so we rely on donations and our users upgrading to premium plans in order to fund our service. If you want to support ProtonMail and enjoy access to premium features (such as the ability create multiple email addresses, or even use a custom email address if you have your own custom domain) please consider upgrading to a paid plan. 

If you already have an account and want to create an additional address, please see Aliases and addresses.

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  • Common signup problems and solutions 6
  • Providing a notification/reset email address -1
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46 comments

  1. mhm
    September 26, 2015
    at 8:34 PM

    People who applied after me(I applied Aug 4) have received their email id’s. I applied on Aug 4, requesting ‘wildlife@protonmail.com’. Would you know if I am still on the mailing list or if you have not yet issued the id? If you have issued it, can you re-send the notification? Thank you.

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  2. Samuel
    December 14, 2015
    at 10:10 PM

    I have reserved one name earlier and forgot email where invite letter with link should come, and now it says, that desired name is taken. Is it possible to reserve it again in future?

    I love what have you done! It’s great and high quality work, keep it going!

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  3. Nath
    January 8, 2016
    at 10:58 AM

    Hi, I created a account yesterday and was offered to donate in order to get the account immediatly. I did not as I was at work. I wanted to do it at home.
    But it seems there is no way to donate a litlle bit after, ie through the email I received ton confirm my request.
    Did I miss something or is this impossible to donate after the creation ?

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  4. Tonny
    January 24, 2016
    at 9:31 AM

    Have you get your invitation now? I would like to know when would the service available Orz

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  5. Nicolas
    March 12, 2016
    at 7:15 PM

    I have a ‘@protonmail.com’ account. I would like to change to change the address to ‘@protonmail.ch’ domain. Is it possible? Thanks./~

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  6. ProtonMail Support
    June 3, 2016
    at 2:43 PM

    Once the account is created, and the domain is chosen it can’t be changed. If you upgrade to a premium plan you can use both domains, but the main domain will always be the one you created your account with.

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  7. Mihkel
    April 18, 2016
    at 8:28 AM

    I have reserved my full name earlier but it did not send invite letter with the link, and now it says, that desired name is taken. Is it possible to restore it? Im 100% sure it was me who reserved it.

    I would be your client if you let me.

    Thanks.

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  8. ProtonMail Support
    April 26, 2016
    at 11:40 AM

    Sorry to hear that. Can you please contact us at contact@protonmail.com?

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  9. Alexander
    April 21, 2016
    at 9:01 PM

    I have signed up and was told to wait for an invitation as soon as possible.
    This was 11 nov 2015!
    I still have not gotten any invite and now that username is occupied.
    I have done the same with another username that I can not use anymore either.
    How should I do?

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  10. ProtonMail Support
    April 26, 2016
    at 11:21 AM

    Can you please contact us at contat@protonmail.com?

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  11. Randy Randerson
    April 27, 2016
    at 7:29 AM

    How does someone create a new account without owning a phone? I don’t have one thus cannot complete the SMS portion of the sign up process. Does this mean I cannot have an account on proton mail? Not cool if true.

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  12. ProtonMail Support
    June 6, 2016
    at 4:39 PM

    Please contact us on contact@protonmail.ch or via the Report bug button.

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  13. oscar gazol
    May 5, 2016
    at 11:51 PM

    Recently I’ve created the account gazol.oscar@protonmail.com. Is it possible to change it to gazol.oscar@protonmail.ch?

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  14. ProtonMail Support
    June 8, 2016
    at 3:37 PM

    We have made some changes for the new users. When you create a new account, you can choose which domain you want to use, .com or .ch. Once the account is created you can only use the chosen domain. You can use both domains if you upgrade to a premium pan, but your default domain will always be the one you have registered, and if you go back to a free plan, only that domain will be available.

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  15. Janet Burke
    May 13, 2016
    at 3:30 PM

    I have 4 separate e mails with you. i just paid the $5 a month. I can find no explanation about how to proceed. Do all the e mails sent to those addresses come to my main e mail address? Do I have to create new e mails?

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  16. ProtonMail Support
    May 31, 2016
    at 3:37 PM

    Hi Janet,
    You can also combine your free accounts with your premium account. For more information please visit this link: https://protonmail.com/support/knowledge-base/combine-accounts/

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  17. Janet Burke
    May 13, 2016
    at 3:31 PM

    I also did not get a receipt or confirmation of purchase. Thank you

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  18. ProtonMail Support
    May 31, 2016
    at 3:34 PM

    Hi Janet,
    Can you please contact us at contact@protonmail.com?

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  19. Jack Henning
    May 18, 2016
    at 6:51 PM

    I’ve paid, upgradet to pro, but when can I ad new adresses?

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  20. ProtonMail Support
    May 31, 2016
    at 2:39 PM

    Hello, for more information please follow this link: https://protonmail.com/support/knowledge-base/aliases-within-protonmail/

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  21. marie scheuring
    May 19, 2016
    at 7:52 PM

    How can I tell if someone else has added premium service and other email addresses to my accounts:
    oakwoodrealty@protonmail.com
    greenhousepublishers@protonmail.com
    I am considering upgrading this service but need confirmation that I will be the only one using the addresses. There appear to be aliases I don’t have control for and didn’t set up.

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  22. ProtonMail Support
    May 31, 2016
    at 3:21 PM

    Hi Marie,
    Can you please send us more details about this problem at contact@protonmail.com? Our premium users cannot create existing ProtonMail addresses.

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  23. Name : Raphael Carlos Menem
    May 19, 2016
    at 8:19 PM

    It seems to be successful !!! I think so .

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  24. Betty229
    May 29, 2016
    at 8:15 AM

    I cant log in even after i had my login name sent and changed my password

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  25. ProtonMail Support
    May 31, 2016
    at 1:21 PM

    Please contact us at contact@protonmail.com

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  26. STEVE XAVIER ALVARADO
    August 5, 2016
    at 5:08 AM

    I just signed up and it didn’t go past the verifying, i know what my email and password but it wont let me in,

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  27. ProtonMail Support
    August 6, 2016
    at 2:05 PM

    The registration process might not have finished properly. You can try resetting the passwords, and gain access to the account.

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  28. Jake
    August 26, 2016
    at 1:53 PM

    You offer an anonymous and secure email service and then you force users to identify with SMS for “spam” reasons? That really costs you guys a lot of trust, because there are really a lot of other ways to protect against spam then asking for the mobile phone number. (yes i know verify with an email address is also an option but that one is blocked for free email providers)

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  29. ProtonMail Support
    September 19, 2016
    at 11:37 AM

    The SMS verification is one of three available options for human verification. The number you use is in no way connected to the account you create.

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  30. Anonymous
    September 17, 2016
    at 4:17 AM

    I did not provide a recovery email address. When I log in, I get the message, “Your invitation has been sent but you have not yet setup your ProtonMail account” How do I proceed?

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  31. ProtonMail Support
    September 19, 2016
    at 12:42 PM

    Please contact us on contact@protonmail.ch or via the Report bug button.

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  32. Potential Premium Cm
    September 20, 2016
    at 1:33 PM

    Do you save somewhere phone numbers provided for sms verification? If so, I have to delete my free account which I wanted to upgrade to premium :-( I provided phone number and I understand that it was a mistake!

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  33. ProtonMail Support
    September 26, 2016
    at 3:50 PM

    Your phone numbers are not linked to your account.

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  34. Andrew
    September 28, 2016
    at 3:03 AM

    If I want an address but it say it was on deletion how can I get that address

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  35. ProtonMail Support
    October 4, 2016
    at 1:45 PM

    Deleted addresses cannot be recovered.

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  36. Han Son
    January 16, 2018
    at 8:29 AM

    Hello,

    The sign up page doesn’t work.

    Kind regards

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  37. ProtonMail Support
    February 6, 2018
    at 4:36 PM

    If you are still experiencing this issue, please contact our support team at contact@protonmail.ch or using the support form at https://protonmail.com/support-form.

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  38. Alvaro Gilabert
    February 15, 2018
    at 7:03 PM

    After I click on Sign Up, nothing happens. I am redirected to a white page. Header, OK. Footer, OK. Body… empty.
    Any idea why? I use Ad Blocker (ABP) if that helps but I understand that should not be the case.

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  39. ProtonMail Support
    February 20, 2018
    at 3:37 PM

    Please try disabling all browser extensions or try using a different browser. If you need further assistance, please contact our support team at contact@protonmail.com or using the support form at https://protonmail.com/support-form.

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  40. henry Paul
    February 16, 2018
    at 7:05 PM

    tried to register – didn*t work ( 2. Time)
    Holding a Volksbank Debit Card with meastro. Card Number is rejected as wrong. But it is correct.
    Have no other card.
    Would like to pay by bill in advance

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  41. ProtonMail Support
    February 20, 2018
    at 3:27 PM

    Please contact our support team at contact@protonmail.ch, via the report bug button or using the support form at https://protonmail.com/support-form.

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  42. sizimisele
    March 4, 2018
    at 1:40 PM

    proton is supportive to the poor,keep up the spirit,God bless

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  43. Anonymous
    April 6, 2018
    at 10:39 PM

    What is the minimum number of characters a username can be? is it 5 characters?

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  44. ProtonMail Support
    April 7, 2018
    at 10:54 AM

    There is no minimum number of characters for a username. You can check for available usernames when creating an account on our signup page: https://protonmail.com/signup.

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  45. Mickael
    April 15, 2019
    at 8:47 PM

    Bonjour J’ai crée un compte protonmail, j’ai reçu le code de vérification, puis au moment de valider, j’ai eut un message d’erreur (je ne me rapelle lequel ça disait qu’une erreur était survenu). Impossible de finaliser la création du compte. Compte en question [redacted][at]protonmail[.]com

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

  46. ProtonMail Support
    April 23, 2019
    at 1:39 PM

    Please contact our support team using the support form at https://protonmail.com/support-form.

    You must log in to vote
    0
    0

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