What if the recipient doesn't open it?
Unopened secrets expire after 7 days by default and are permanently deleted. You can set a shorter expiration when creating the link.
Self-destructing message generator
Send a note that disappears after one read.
Send a self-destructing message or note for free. Read once, then gone. Encrypted in your browser, no signup. Passphrase protection on Pro.
Common use cases
- One-time credentials: Send a password that can only be used once, eliminating the risk of forwarding or replay.
- Private contracts: Share sensitive terms or draft agreements that should not be stored long-term.
- Secure handoffs: Transfer access tokens or recovery codes between teams without creating permanent records.
How does burn-after-read work?
Burn-after-read means the secret is permanently deleted from our servers the moment it is first revealed. Even if the link is shared with multiple people, only the first opener sees the content.
This is the digital equivalent of a message written in invisible ink: it exists just long enough to be read, then vanishes completely.
Why use Self-Destructing Message
One-time credentials — Send a password that can only be used once, eliminating the risk of forwarding or replay.
Private contracts — Share sensitive terms or draft agreements that should not be stored long-term.
Secure handoffs — Transfer access tokens or recovery codes between teams without creating permanent records.
Privacy guarantees for Self-Destructing Message
Anything you process with the Self-Destructing Message stays inside LinkPilot's privacy-first pipeline: IP addresses are hashed with a salt that rotates every 24 hours, so no raw IP is ever written to disk, and bot traffic is filtered out before it reaches your reporting.
If the Self-Destructing Message touches secret payloads (passphrases, tokens, attachments), those values are isolated from marketing analytics in a separate workflow and are never shared with attribution profiles or third-party retargeting networks.
Where the Self-Destructing Message fits in LinkPilot
The Self-Destructing Message is one piece of the wider LinkPilot workspace — branded short links, burn-after-read secret sharing, Rule Studio routing, Trust Passport scoring, and privacy-first click analytics, all under one tenant with 5-role RBAC.
Create a free account to save your work, set expirations, route clicks by geo or device, and invite teammates without paying per-seat. Passphrase protection is available on Pro.
Related reading
Burn after read means the stored copy is destroyed on the first open. How one-time secret links work explains the sequence, expiring links security covers what happens when a link expires unread, and the security architecture page states what is encrypted and what is logged. Sending an API key? How to share API keys securely is the walkthrough; for the comparison with password managers see secret links vs password managers.
Frequently asked questions
Can I see if it was opened?
Yes. The public analytics page shows a view count. After the first view, it shows a burned state and the content is gone.
Is there any backup?
No. Burn-after-read secrets are intentionally non-recoverable. If you need retention, disable burn-after-read in advanced settings.