Frequently asked questions

The basics

What is Self Destruct Note?

It's a free way to send a private message that can only be read once. You write a note, get a link, and send that link to someone. When they open it and tap Reveal, they see the message, and it is permanently deleted. Nobody can open the same link again, including you.

Do I need an account?

No. There are no sign-ups, no logins and no cookies. Write a note and you get a link straight away.

Is it really free?

Yes. In the future we may show ads on some pages to cover running costs. Ads will never appear on the page where a message is revealed.

What can I use it for?

Anything you'd rather not leave sitting in a chat history: a Secret Santa assignment, a love note, a surprise announcement, or a password or Wi-Fi code for a friend.

Privacy & security

Can you read my messages?

No. Your message is encrypted (scrambled) in your own browser before anything is sent. The key that unscrambles it lives only in the link you share, in the part after the # sign. Browsers never send that part of a link to a website, so our server only ever stores unreadable text. The How it works page explains this in more detail.

What if someone else opens the link first?

Then they read it, and your intended reader will see "This message doesn't exist (anymore)". The link is the key, so send it to one person, through an app you trust. For extra safety, add a password and share it separately.

Can the reader save or screenshot the message?

Yes. Nothing on the web can stop someone taking a screenshot or a photo of their screen. Self-destructing protects the message from sitting around in inboxes and servers, but you still need to trust the person you send it to.

Will chat apps "open" the link and burn it by accident?

No. Apps like iMessage, WhatsApp, Slack and many email systems visit links to build previews or check for viruses. Opening the link only shows a sealed screen. The note burns only when a person taps Reveal.

What does the password option do?

It adds a second lock. The password is mixed into the encryption, so the link alone isn't enough to read the message. Send the password a different way than the link (for example, say it out loud). After 5 wrong guesses, the note destroys itself.

Timers & expiry

What does the self-destruct countdown do?

It sets how long the reader can look at the message once it's revealed (10 seconds to 5 minutes, or no timer). The reader can pause it if they need more time. The note is already erased from our server the moment it's revealed, so the countdown is about the experience on screen.

How long does an unread note last?

You choose when you create it: 1 hour, 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days. If nobody opens it in time, it's destroyed unread.

Can I delete a note after sending it?

Yes, as long as it hasn't been read. Open your private status link and tap Destroy it now.

How do I know if my note was read?

Use the private status link you get when you create the note. It shows whether the note is waiting, read, expired or destroyed, with the time. It never shows the message itself or who read it. Tip: give the note a label (like "For Ana") under "More options" so you can tell your status links apart.

Troubleshooting

Why does it say "This message doesn't exist (anymore)"?

The note was already read, it expired, the sender destroyed it, or the link was cut off when it was copied. For privacy, we can't tell which. Ask the sender to send a new one.

I lost the link. Can you send it again?

No. We never have the key, so we can't recreate the link or read the note. Create a new note instead (and destroy the old one from its status link if you still have it).

Is there a size limit?

Notes can be up to 10,000 characters of plain text. Emoji and some symbols count as 2 to 4 characters each.

Can I send photos or files?

Not at the moment. Self Destruct Note is for text only, which keeps it fast, simple and hard to abuse.

Which browsers work?

Any up-to-date browser on a phone or computer: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, Samsung Internet, DuckDuckGo and others. The site must be opened over a secure https:// connection, which happens automatically.

Someone sent me something abusive. What can I do?

Use the Report abuse link on the message page. We can't read messages, so tell us what happened; you can choose to include the message text in your report.