Email Without Phone Number: Which Services Allow It

What Each Email Service Requires at Sign-Up

Google lists the phone step as “Optional: Add and verify a phone number” and lets you add a recovery email. However, Google also says “sometimes phone verification is required to confirm you’re a real person” before the account is created; that check needs a mobile device, though the call option can use a home phone.

Microsoft suggests trying another method, “such as an email address instead of a phone number”, if sign-up fails.

Yahoo asks for “a password, date of birth, and a mobile number” at sign-up, and says “SMS codes can only be sent to mobile numbers.” An existing email from any provider can be your sign-in, but it does not replace the phone step.

Proton says on its human-verification page that you “might be asked to complete a CAPTCHA challenge or verify a phone number or email address”. It keeps only a hash of what you provide.

Tuta states it does not ask for any kind of verification when signing up. The caveat: some new accounts — often those created over a VPN or Tor — are held for approval to prevent abuse, and until then they can’t send or receive mail.

How to Create an Email Without a Phone Number

Gmail (Google)

1. Open Google’s account sign-up page.
2. Enter your name, choose a Gmail address, and set a password. If you only need a Google account, you can use a non-Gmail address you own instead.
3. When the phone step appears, check whether it is marked optional; if it is, continue without adding a number.
4. Add a recovery email address.
5. Fill in the remaining details and accept the terms.

If the phone step is not optional, Google is asking for verification before it creates the account. The page on Gmail sign-up without a phone covers this case in more detail.

Pro tip: Add a recovery email during sign-up, whichever service you choose; with no phone on file, it is your main way back in.

Outlook (Microsoft)

1. Open the Microsoft account sign-up page.
2. Choose an @outlook.com or @hotmail.com address and set a password.
3. Enter your name and date of birth.
4. If sign-up fails, try another method, such as an email address instead of a phone number, as Microsoft suggests.
5. Finish any remaining checks and confirm your account.

See Outlook and Hotmail sign-up for more detail.

Yahoo Mail

Yahoo lists a mobile number among its sign-up requirements, so there is no phone-free path. To keep your personal number off the account, see the separate-number options below.

Proton Mail

1. Open the Proton sign-up page and choose the free plan.
2. Choose a Proton address and set a password.
3. At the human-verification step, choose email verification if it is offered.
4. Verify an existing email address you own.
5. If only a CAPTCHA appears, complete it — no phone or email needed.

Proton says a free account can be created “without giving away your phone number”, and adding a recovery email or phone is optional.

Tuta

1. Open the Tuta sign-up page.
2. Choose a free plan, pick a Tuta address, and set a password.
3. Complete registration — no phone or email verification is asked.
4. If the account is held for approval, wait until it is approved.

Common mistake: Assuming a Tuta account is fully active the moment you register. If it is held for approval, mail sent to the address during that window may not be delivered. Confirm the inbox is active before sharing the address.

What Stays Locked or at Risk Without a Verified Phone Number

Skipping the phone number is a trade-off, not a free pass.

Account recovery. Without a verified phone number, getting back into a locked account depends mainly on your recovery email and any backup codes you saved. After a hacked account is recovered, the FTC advises checking that the recovery email addresses and phone numbers on it are ones you entered and can access. With no phone on file, set up that recovery email during registration.

Two-factor authentication. SMS-based 2FA is unavailable without a phone number. This is less of a loss than it sounds: NIST SP 800-63B treats codes sent over the phone network (SMS or voice) as a restricted authenticator. An authenticator app does not depend on a phone number at all.

No guarantee. Google and Proton both say a phone check can appear at sign-up, so a phone-free path that worked once may not be offered every time.

If a Phone Number Is Required: Using a Separate Number

These error messages signal that the number you entered will not work.

Google shows “This phone number cannot be used for verification” or “This phone number has been used too many times for verification” — both documented on Google’s account verification help page. Microsoft shows “We cannot send a text message to this number”, documented on Microsoft’s verification code troubleshooting page.

What works: Every service accepts US and Australian mobile numbers that aren’t VoIP. If you’d rather not hand Yahoo or Google your personal SIM number, a virtual one can stand in, provided carrier records show it as a mobile line and not VoIP. For background on which numbers pass verification, see the main guide.

What to avoid:

• VoIP numbers: Microsoft says “VOIP numbers cannot be added as a way to sign in or get verification codes.”
• Public receive-SMS websites: These numbers are shared by many people, and services often turn them down. Any code that does arrive is also visible to anyone who opens the page. The guide to free temporary phone numbers compares them with private numbers.

Practical alternatives when a number is genuinely required:

• A separate prepaid mobile SIM used only for sign-ups.
• A virtual number with a mobile (non-VoIP) carrier listing, kept for as long as you keep the account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I really create a Gmail account without a phone number? Yes, it is possible. Google marks the phone step as optional and lets you add a recovery email, but it also says phone verification is sometimes required, so a phone-free sign-up is not guaranteed.

Which free email services can I sign up for without a phone number? Tuta and Proton both offer free accounts without a phone number, though Tuta holds some new accounts for approval and Proton may still show a phone check. Gmail marks the phone step optional, and for Outlook Microsoft points to an email address when sign-up fails; Yahoo requires a mobile number.

What does “This phone number has been used too many times for verification” mean? It is one of the messages on Google’s verification help page: Google will not accept that number. Use a different number, ideally a non-VoIP mobile line of your own rather than one listed on a public receive-SMS site.

Is it safe to use an email account with no verified phone number? It can be, provided you set up a recovery email address, use an authenticator app for 2FA rather than SMS, and save backup codes where the service offers them. The risk is not in skipping the phone number itself — it is in skipping account recovery options entirely.