Office 365 users now have access to unlimited disposable recipient email addresses after the feature was added to Exchange Online. The addition was the number one requested feature from Exchange Admins using Microsoft’s UserVoice site.
Now, Exchange Online users can make use of ‘plus addressing,’ where custom, unique email addresses can be created that are related but distinct from their regular address.
“Plus addressing allows users to dynamically create unique email addresses that deliver messages to a user’s mailbox, but are easily distinguished from messages sent to the user’s regular email address,” the Microsoft Exchange Team explained. “There are two main use cases for this. Some customers want to filter incoming email and move certain messages to their own folders. Other customers have business solutions (such as support ticketing systems) that add a case ID to an email address to help track support threads.”
A major plus
One of the most exciting aspects of this new feature is the ability to filter incoming messages, alongside the extra control it gives users regarding their inbox. For example, you might want to add a plus address before signing up for specific marketing materials. That way, all the relevant messages you receive can be placed in a bespoke folder. Not only does this make it easier to keep your inbox organized, it also informs you of how spam messages got your email address.
Although plus addressing is disabled by default, administrators can switch it on easily enough through the Exchange Online Powershell by running the following command: Set-OrganizationConfig -AllowPlusAddressInRecipients $true
One potential problem has been identified, however. Because Exchange Online already supported email addresses that contained a ‘+’ character, enabling plus addressing may cause these addresses to stop functioning. Support for plus addresses was originally announced at Microsoft’s Ignite conference last year but only started rolling out last month.