Plaintext Email Checker

Plaintext Email Checker: Find Exposed Addresses

Email addresses written directly into page source are easy for automated tools to collect. This checker finds plaintext email addresses in a webpage's source code.

Why Exposed Emails Are a Problem

• Spam: scrapers collect addresses from pages and add them to spam lists, leading to unwanted messages.
• Phishing: exposed addresses can be used to craft targeted attacks that appear legitimate.
• Privacy: publishing a personal or internal address may expose information you did not intend to share.

How Emails Are Exposed

• Visible text on a contact page, such as info@example.com.
• mailto: links in the HTML.
• Addresses embedded in scripts, structured data, or hidden elements.
• Comments in the source code that were not removed before publishing.

Ways to Reduce Exposure

• Use a contact form instead of publishing an address directly.
• Obfuscate the address with JavaScript or character encoding, though determined scrapers can still decode it.
• Use a role-based address such as support@ rather than a personal one.
• Replace mailto: links with a form or a protected address.
• Remove addresses from comments and unused template code.

Practical Uses

• Auditing a site for accidentally exposed addresses.
• Checking a new page before publishing.
• Reviewing a template for leftover placeholder emails.
• Assessing spam risk on contact pages.

Limitations

The checker finds addresses present in the page source. It does not measure how much spam they attract, and obfuscated addresses may not be detected even though they are still present in some form.

Summary

Plaintext email addresses are easy targets for scrapers and spammers. This checker finds them in page source, so you can replace or protect exposed addresses.