Getting Started

Welcome to anon.li! This guide will help you set up your account and start using our privacy tools: Alias for private email forwarding and Drop for encrypted file sharing.

Prefer a quick overview first? Watch the privacy-friendly intro video hosted directly by anon.li.

Quick Start

1. Create an account
2. Set up your first email alias
3. Share your first encrypted file

Create Your Account

Sign Up

1. Go to anon.li/register
2. Enter your email address
3. Complete the captcha verification
4. Check your email for a magic link
5. Click the link to verify and access your dashboard
6. If prompted, set a password to protect your vault and future sign-ins

Your first access starts with a magic link. Accounts that use the vault then set a password for future sign-ins and vault unlocking.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication (Recommended)

For additional security, enable 2FA:

1. Go to Dashboard → Settings
2. Find the "Two-Factor Authentication" section
3. Click "Enable 2FA"
4. Scan the QR code with your authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Authy, 1Password, etc.)
5. Enter the 6-digit code to verify
6. Save your backup codes in a secure location

Email Aliases (Alias)

What is an Email Alias?

An email alias is a unique address (like shopping123@anon.li) that forwards messages to your real inbox. Use aliases to:

• Sign up for services without revealing your real email
• Easily identify who sold your email if you get spam
• Block unwanted emails with one click
• Reply to emails without exposing your identity

Create Your First Alias

1. Go to your Dashboard
2. Click "Create Alias"
3. Choose your alias:
   • Random: Auto-generate a unique alias (e.g., v7k2m@anon.li)
   • Custom: Choose your own name (e.g., shopping@anon.li)
4. Select a domain:
   • @anon.li (free)
   • Custom domains (paid plans)
5. Add an optional vault-encrypted label or note (e.g., "Amazon shopping")
6. Click "Create"

Your alias is now active! Any email sent to it will be forwarded to your real address.

Replying from an Alias

When you receive a forwarded email:

1. Simply reply to the email as normal
2. Your response is automatically routed through your alias
3. The recipient sees your alias address, never your real email

Managing Aliases

From your dashboard, you can:

• Enable/Disable: Toggle an alias on or off instantly
• Delete: Permanently remove an alias
• Edit Label/Note: Update vault-encrypted metadata for organization
• View Stats: See how many emails have been forwarded

Block Spam Instantly

Getting spam on an alias?

1. Go to your Alias Dashboard
2. Find the spammy alias
3. Click the toggle to disable it
4. All future emails to that alias are rejected

No need to unsubscribe or mark as spam - just turn it off!

Encrypted File Sharing (Drop)

What is Drop?

Drop is our end-to-end encrypted file sharing service. Files are encrypted in your browser before upload, so we never see your data.

Key features:

• Zero-knowledge encryption (AES-256-GCM)
• Automatic expiration
• Download limits
• Password protection (Plus and Pro plans)
• Encrypted messages (attach a note to any drop)
• Recipients can download with only the shared link

Share Your First File

1. Go to your Drop Dashboard
2. Sign in or create a free account if prompted
3. Click "Upload" or drag files
4. Configure options:
   • Expiration: When the file auto-deletes (1 day to 30 days)
   • Download Limit: Max downloads before deletion
   • Password: Optional additional protection
5. Upload and get your share link
6. Manage your files from the dashboard

Understanding the Share Link

Your share link looks like this:

https://anon.li/d/abc123xyz#U2FsdGVkX1...

• abc123xyz - The file ID (sent to our server)
• #U2FsdGVkX1... - The encryption key (never sent to our server)

The # fragment stays in your browser. We literally cannot decrypt your file.

Download Limits & Expiration

Control access to your files:

Password Protection

For extra security, add a password:

1. Before uploading, check "Password protect"
2. Enter a strong password
3. Share the link AND password separately (e.g., link via email, password via Signal)

Recipients will need both to decrypt the file.

PGP Encryption (Advanced)

What is PGP?

PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) encrypts the forwarded copy of your emails so the message delivered to your inbox can only be decrypted with your private key.

Set Up PGP

1. Generate a PGP key pair (using GPG, Kleopatra, or similar)
2. Go to Dashboard → Alias → Recipients
3. Select the recipient inbox you want to protect
4. Paste your public key
5. Save the recipient PGP settings

Forwarded copies for aliases routed to that recipient will now be encrypted with its public key.

Verify PGP is Working

After setting up:

1. Send a test email to one of your aliases
2. Check that the forwarded email is encrypted (looks like -----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----)
3. Decrypt with your private key to verify

API Access

For developers, we offer REST APIs for both Alias and Drop.

Generate an API Key

1. Go to Dashboard → API Keys
2. Click "Create API Key" while signed in with 2FA verified if enabled
3. Give it a name (e.g., "My App")
4. Copy the key immediately (it won't be shown again!)

API-key requests count against your monthly API quota. Creating and deleting API keys is done from your authenticated dashboard session, not by using an existing API key.

Quick API Examples

Create an alias:

curl -X POST https://anon.li/api/v1/alias \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ak_your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"local_part": "myalias", "format": "custom"}'

See the full API Documentation for all endpoints.

Upgrade Your Plan

Free accounts have generous limits, but power users may want more:

View Pricing →

Get Help

• FAQ: anon.li/faq - Common questions answered
• Documentation: anon.li/docs - Detailed guides
• Security: anon.li/security - How we protect your data
• Support: hi@anon.li - We're here to help

Welcome to anon.li! Your privacy journey starts here.