---
title: "Self Destructing Message: Read Once, Gone | LinkPilot"
url: https://uselinkpilot.com/self-destructing-message
description: "Send a self destructing message as a link. Encrypted in your browser, revealed once, then the stored copy is destroyed. Works in any browser, free."
lang: en
---

# Self destructing message

Send a message that destroys itself the first time it is read.

No account needed. Free forever plan.

## How it works

1. 01
   ### Paste a password, a key, or a file
   Encrypted in your browser before anything is sent. Burn after read is on for every anonymous secret.
2. 02
   ### Send the link
   One URL. The key after the # stays in the browser and never reaches our servers.
3. 03
   ### The stored secret is gone
   The first open burns the ciphertext. A second visit, by anyone, meets the destroyed page.

Browser-side encryption shipped on 29 September 2026. Secrets created before that date were stored as plaintext until they expired, and a file's name, size and type are still visible to us. Read the full security model (https://uselinkpilot.com/security-architecture).

## How a self-destruct message works

You write the message and get a link. The text is encrypted in your browser with AES-GCM-256 before it is sent, the key stays in the link after the #, and the server keeps only ciphertext. When the recipient opens the link and presses reveal, the message is shown once and the stored ciphertext is overwritten in the same operation. The link is spent, and every later visit meets a burned page with HTTP status 410.

## Self-destructing messages without a special app

Messaging apps with disappearing messages need both people on the same app and still keep the message until the timer runs out. A self-destructing link works across email, SMS and any chat tool, because the message lives in the link rather than in the app. The recipient needs a browser and nothing else.

An unread anonymous message expires after seven days. A free account lets you set one hour, 24 hours or seven days and revoke a message before it is read. Pro (https://uselinkpilot.com/pricing) adds a passphrase, a custom expiry and the audit timeline.

## What it does and does not protect against

It removes the stored copy after one read and makes a leaked link worthless after that. It cannot stop the reader from taking a screenshot, and it cannot protect a link that was forwarded before it was opened. For anything sensitive, keep the expiry short and, on Pro, send a passphrase by another route.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can the recipient save a self-destructing message?

### Does the message self-destruct if it is never opened?

### Will a link preview trigger the self-destruct?

### Can I attach a file to a self-destructing message?

Pro, $29 a month, adds a passphrase on every secret, a custom expiry date and time, and the audit timeline that records each view, burn and revoke. See plans (https://uselinkpilot.com/pricing).

## Related

- Self destructing note: https://uselinkpilot.com/self-destructing-note
- Send a secret message: https://uselinkpilot.com/send-secret-message
- Self destructing link: https://uselinkpilot.com/self-destructing-link
- Share a secret: https://uselinkpilot.com/share-a-secret

All use cases: https://uselinkpilot.com/use-cases

## Structured data

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```