Strip plus tags from emails: turn john+1@gmail.com back into john@gmail.com on a whole list
In short: Upload a list and the tag after the + is cut from addresses on providers known to deliver it to the plain mailbox. Rows that now repeat are counted, and you can keep one. Limit: It rewrites text and cannot tell whether the plain mailbox exists.
Upload a CSV or .xlsx file, or paste it with a header row. Choose whether to cut +tags only on providers known to deliver them to the plain mailbox, or on every domain. john+1@gmail.com becomes john@gmail.com. You see how many rows now repeat, can keep the first of each, and download the file with the original address kept beside it.
Price: this tool is free. Checking a whole email list is from $9/mo, and the first 100 checks are free with Google, no card. Check your list free nowSee pricing
Sample result
Six example rows lose 3 +tags: john+1@ and john+2@ become john@gmail.com, which 3 rows now share; mia+promo@acme.com is left alone.
- Addresses changed
- 3
- Tagged, left alone
- 1
- Rows if first kept
- 4
What this means for you
A removed tag does not show that the plain mailbox exists; a check shows which addresses exist.
- Known providers by default
- Every domain optional
- Original kept beside it
- Keep the first repeat
- +tag
- Gmail
- Repeats
By SimpleVerifier Team · Last updated · Runs in your browser; nothing you paste is sent to us
Removed the tags? Check the addresses before the send.
- Download the file, or use the check button under the result, which carries its addresses across.
- Upload or paste it at /verify. Every address gets a live mailbox check, and the first 100 email checks are free with a Google sign-in, no card.
How do I strip +tags from a list of emails?
- Upload the file as a CSV or .xlsx, or paste the cells with the header row first.
- Choose known providers only, or every domain.
- 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.
Example
- You enter
- Six rows with john+1@gmail.com, john+2@gmail.com, john@gmail.com, mia+promo@acme.com, Zed+news@Outlook.com and kit@globex.de, on known providers only.
- You get
- 3 addresses changed (the two john+ rows and Zed+news@Outlook.com to Zed@Outlook.com); 3 rows now read john@gmail.com; mia+promo@acme.com is left alone because acme.com is not a known provider. Keeping the first of each repeat leaves 4 rows.
- Limits
- Runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded. It cannot tell whether the plain mailbox is in use.
What is a plus tag, and why strip it?
Some providers deliver jane+news@example.com to the mailbox jane@example.com. People use the tag to sort mail, and some use it to sign up many times with one inbox: john+1@, john+2@ and john@ are one person. Stripping the tag shows how many people a list really holds.
It also helps a send: five addresses that land in one inbox are five copies of the same message.
Which domains does it change by default?
By default only these 13 domains lose their tags: gmail.com, googlemail.com, outlook.com, hotmail.com, live.com, msn.com, icloud.com, me.com, mac.com, fastmail.com, proton.me, protonmail.com, pm.me. Their providers deliver a +tag to the plain mailbox. Other domains are left alone and counted, because a provider may treat the + as part of the name, and john+1@ and john@ would then be two real mailboxes.
A company address hosted at Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 often accepts tags too, but the domain alone does not show who hosts it. If you know your list is like that, choose every domain.
What does it not do?
It only edits text. It does not check that the plain mailbox exists. A person who only ever used john+shop@ may have no plain john@ in use, though the provider delivers it. For one address, use the plus address checker; to merge Gmail dot variants as well, use the Gmail dot and plus normalizer.
Who uses this tool, and for what?
- Marketers
- Count how many different inboxes a signup list really holds.
- Founders
- Spot repeat signups for a trial offer or a giveaway.
- Cold emailers
- Stop sending the same message twice to one inbox.
What can’t this tool tell you?
- It rewrites text and cannot tell whether the plain mailbox exists.
- The known-provider list is short, and a business domain hosted on one of them is not recognised from the domain alone.
- Dots, case and other aliases are not merged.
- Only the first sheet of a workbook is read.
Common questions
- Does john+1@gmail.com reach john@gmail.com?
- Yes. Gmail delivers it to the mailbox before the +. The tool lists Gmail among the providers it treats this way.
- Why are some addresses left alone?
- Their domain is not on the known list, so the tool cannot tell whether the + is a tag or part of the name. They are counted so you can decide, and the every-domain option strips them.
- What about dots in Gmail addresses?
- This tool leaves dots alone. To treat j.ohn and john as one Gmail address, use the Gmail dot and plus normalizer.
- Can I keep the first row of each repeat?
- Yes. Tick the option and only the first row of each address is kept. The count of rows removed is shown.
- Does it keep the address I started with?
- Yes, in a new Original email column, unless you untick the option. Rows with no tag have that cell blank.
- Is my file uploaded?
- No. The file is read in your browser and goes nowhere.
A tidy list can still be full of dead addresses.
Extracting, deduplicating and syntax checks all work on the text of an address. None of them can tell whether the mailbox exists. Only the server that hosts it can answer that, through an SMTP check, and that is what the paid product does.
- Upload the cleaned file as it is: CSVs up to 100,000 rows
- A real SMTP mailbox check on every row, with catch-all detection
- Small list? Starter at $9/mo covers 2,500 emails a month, cancel anytime
Plans from $9 a month, cancel anytime, no contract. Sign in with Google and your first 100 email checks are free, no card. The free tools stay free either way.