Self Destruct Note🔗 Guide
One-time secret links, explained
A one-time secret link opens a message exactly once. After it's read, the message is gone, and the link left in your chat or inbox leads nowhere.
What is a one-time secret link?
Instead of pasting something sensitive straight into a chat, you put it in a note and send a link to that note. The first person to open the link and reveal the note can read it. Then the note is deleted for good. Anyone who opens the same link later, including someone scrolling through old messages, finds nothing.
How Self Destruct Note keeps it private
- Encrypted on your device. Your message is locked in your own browser before it's sent. Our server only ever stores scrambled text it can't read.
- The key stays in the link. The key is the part after the "#" in the link, and browsers never send that part to any server. So we never see it.
- Deleted the moment it's revealed. Reading and deleting happen in one step on the server, so a note can't be opened twice.
- Safe from link previews. When you paste a link into iMessage, WhatsApp, Slack or Discord, the app fetches it to build a preview. That only shows a sealed "You've received a secret message" card. The note is revealed only when a person taps Reveal message.
- No account, no cookies. Neither you nor the reader needs to sign up.
More detail on how it works.
How to send one
- Open the home page and type or paste your message (up to 10,000 characters).
- Choose how long they get to read it once it's open (10 seconds to 5 minutes), or No timer.
- Optional: under More options, pick how long an unread note survives (1 hour to 30 days) and add a password for a second lock.
- Tap Seal it & get the link and send it by text, email, WhatsApp or a QR code.
- Keep your private status link to see when it's been read, or destroy the note before anyone does.
Good uses
- Passwords, Wi-Fi codes and PINs you don't want sitting in a chat history. See how to share a password safely.
- Door and gate codes for a guest, a cleaner or a delivery.
- Private details like an account number for a family member, or an address you'd rather not leave lying around.
- Surprises and fun: love notes, big news, Secret Santa assignments, or a QR code hidden in a card.
When not to use one
- When you need a record. Contracts, receipts or anything you may need later belong in an email or document you keep.
- When you don't trust the reader. The reader can always copy the text or take a screenshot. A one-time link limits where the secret is stored, not what the reader does with it.
- For anything illegal or abusive. Our terms forbid it, and every note has a Report abuse button.
One-time links vs. disappearing messages in chat apps
Disappearing messages in chat apps only work inside that one app, both people need it, and the timer usually starts when the message is sent. A one-time link works anywhere you can paste a link, the reader needs nothing installed, and the countdown starts only when they actually open it. You also get a status link telling you whether it was read.
Common questions
What happens if someone else opens the link first?
They'll see the message, and your intended reader will see "This message doesn't exist (anymore)". Your status link will show it was read, which is your cue to change any password you shared. For sensitive notes, add a password and tell it to the reader separately.
Can I take it back?
Yes, as long as it hasn't been read. Open your status link and choose Destroy it now.
How long does a link last if nobody opens it?
You choose: 1 hour, 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days (the default). After that it's deleted unread.
Is it free?
Yes. No account, no sign-up, no limit on how many notes you send in normal use.
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