AltcloakDo I need a new email for a Steam alt account?
Yes. Steam allows one account per email address, so a second Steam account needs an email you have never used on Steam. It does not need to be a whole new inbox. An alt email that sends everything to your main email does the job.
What Steam does with the email
- Steam sends a code to the address when you sign up. The account is not usable until you enter it.
- Steam Guard sends a code to that same address every time you sign in from a new device. So it has to be an inbox you actually read, not a ten-minute throwaway.
- Purchases, gift receipts and password resets go there too. If you lose the address, you can lose the account.
Why a throwaway inbox is the wrong tool
- A ten-minute email site gives you an address that dies. The next time the game emails a code, nobody gets it, and the account is lost.
- A second Gmail is a second inbox to check, a second password to keep, and one more thing to forget.
- Your real email on a second account ties the two together and shows the game who you are.
How to do it
- Press Create in Altcloak and give the alt a name, like "Steam alt". You get an address ending in @altcloak.com.
- Open store.steampowered.com/join and paste the address in.
- Steam emails a code. It goes to your main email, from the alt address. Enter it and finish sign-up.
- Steam Guard codes for this account will arrive the same way, for as long as you keep the alt.
The one-click way
Instead of another Gmail, Altcloak gives you an alt email in a click, ending in @altcloak.com. Paste it into the sign-up form. Codes go to your main email, and Altcloak remembers which alt the address belongs to, with the password if you want.
Get an alt emailFree for 5 alt emails. No card needed.
Questions
Is a second Steam account allowed?
Yes. Steam does not limit how many accounts you own. What is not allowed is using a second account to get around a ban or a VAC ban, and Altcloak's terms say the same.
Can I use my Gmail with +alt on the end?
Sometimes. Some sign-up forms refuse a plus sign, and the address still shows your real Gmail to the game. An alt email is separate from your real one.
What if I delete the alt later?
Move the Steam account to another email first, from Steam's account settings. A deleted alt is retired for good and mail to it bounces.