How to Strip +Tags from a List of Emails

To strip +tags from a list of emails, cut the text from the + to the @ in each address, but only on providers that deliver the tagged form to the plain mailbox. The strip plus tags from emails tool does this for a CSV or .xlsx, counts how many rows now repeat, can keep the first of each, and gives you the file with the original address beside the cleaned one.

On some domains the plus sign is part of the real address, so stripping every domain can break real mailboxes.

Why plus tags matter in a list

Gmail delivers plus addresses to the base inbox, as covered in the post on where a plus address is delivered. A person can therefore sign up many times as john+1, john+2 and john+3, and a list that treats each as unique counts them as separate people. For free-trial abuse this is the usual pattern, as in plus addressing and trial abuse.

The by-hand way

1. Cut the text from the + to the @ in a helper column, for example with SUBSTITUTE or a regex.
2. Only do that on rows whose domain you know supports plus addressing.
3. Keep the original address in its own column.
4. Remove repeats on the cleaned column.

Doing the domain check by hand is the part that goes wrong. The tool handles it with a provider list.

Step 1: load the file

Upload the file as a CSV or .xlsx, or paste the cells with the header row first.

Step 2: choose the scope

Choose known providers only, or every domain.

Step 3: decide on repeats and download

Decide whether to keep the original address in a new column and whether to keep only the first row of each repeat. Check the counts and download the file.

For a plain Gmail dots-and-plus normalization, see the Gmail address normalizer.

What this check cannot do

• Only providers on the tool's list are treated as plus-friendly unless you choose every domain.
• Removing a tag changes the address you store, so keep the original column.
• It does not check that the cleaned address exists.
• Two real people can share a base address only in rare cases, so review before deleting.

To remove exact repeats afterwards, use remove duplicate emails.

Last step: the mailbox check

After merging repeats, the remaining addresses still need checking. That is what the verify page is for, with 100 free checks after a Google sign-in. Results are valid, risky or invalid, each with a reason, and the people on your list are never contacted. Pricing lists the options for bigger files.

Try it now

Upload your file to the strip plus tags from emails tool.