Information
How does it work?
Here's how we keep you safe.
What is NoteShred
The idea is simple. You create a note, give it a password, then choose how and when it should shred itself.
The note gets a unique URL that you send to a recipient along with the password. You decide when the note destroys, or shreds, itself, and we email you once it's shredded or deleted so you know the information is no longer sitting around in someone's inbox.
Notes are secured with a strong AES 256-bit algorithm using a variable key built from your own password combined with random data. Only people with the password can decrypt the note. We can't read your notes or attachments, and neither can anyone else.
Why use it
Have you ever needed to send someone a password, or another piece of personal information, over the internet? Did you do it securely, or did it go over email?
Once information arrives, can you be sure it gets deleted after it's read? Who might have seen it in transit, and has it been logged in plain text on a mail or message server? It's hard to know where it ends up.
NoteShred is a secure way to send those one-off, private bits of information without the hassle of configuring encryption software. It gets your information from A to B and makes sure it's destroyed after it's used, so you're not worrying about it lingering once it's no longer needed.
Recommended usage
Use NoteShred for anything short lived and sensitive: server credentials, API keys, one-time passwords, bank details, or personal information you'd rather not leave in a thread.
Set the note to shred after the first read or download for the tightest control, or pick a date if the recipient needs a little longer. Turn on client side encryption when the contents are especially sensitive, and send the password over a different channel than the link itself.
Use longer, more complex passwords — the more characters the better. A sentence is easier to remember than a random word and much harder to guess.
Frequently asked questions
Does the recipient need an account?
No. Anyone with the link and the password can open a note. Only the sender needs a NoteShred account.
What happens after a note shreds?
The encrypted contents are erased. The note can't be reopened, refreshed, or recovered, and you get an email confirming it's gone. All that remains is a reference so anyone opening the link sees a "this note has been shredded" notice.
Can you recover a note or reset its password?
No. Because the key is derived from the password we never hold, we can't decrypt or reset it. If the password is lost, the note can't be opened.
Can I attach files?
Yes. Attachments are encrypted the same way as the note and shred alongside it.
I created a note, viewed it, and it didn't shred
While you're logged in, NoteShred knows you're the owner, so your own views and downloads don't trigger the shred. That lets you preview the note and check the attachment before sending the link out. To test shredding, open the link in another browser or log out first.
When does it shred?
There are two shred methods. After reading — the default and most secure — allows the password to be entered once before the note shreds itself; notes with attachments shred immediately after the first download. Shred later gives the note a lifespan you choose, like 5 days from now.
What happens if nobody reads the note?
Notes set to shred after reading have a one week lifespan. If nobody opens the note within a week it's shredded automatically and you're notified by email as normal. The auto-shred task runs once an hour, on the hour.
What exactly is encrypted?
The note contents and attachment are encrypted. The email address and the note title are not — never put sensitive information in the note title.
How do I get my picture to show in my notes?
We use Gravatar. Sign up there with the same email address you use at NoteShred and your picture appears on your notes automatically. Without one, you get the default "Shreddy the robot" avatar.
Why would I not just use PGP?
You should, if both sides have it set up. But PGP isn't great for one-off use — at 7pm on a Friday when a client needs a password, you're not going to walk them through key exchange. That's where NoteShred makes life easier.
API
API access lets you create and send notes straight from your own systems, for example issuing credentials during onboarding or automating secure handoffs. Your API key lives in your dashboard settings.
One way password hashing
Account and note passwords are stored as one way hashes, never in plain text. Even we can't read them, which means a copy of the database on its own reveals nothing usable. When someone opens a note, the password they enter is hashed the same way and compared against the stored hash.
Variable encryption keys
Every note is encrypted with AES-256 using a variable key derived from the note's password combined with random data, so no two notes share the same key. There is no private or centralized key that can leak, and compromising one note tells an attacker nothing about any other.
Client side encryption
With client side encryption enabled, the note is encrypted in your browser before it's ever sent to our servers, and that key never leaves your device. The ciphertext is then encrypted again server-side with the regular NoteShred encryption — like a Russian doll, one layer wrapped around the other. Counting the SSL/TLS transfer, that's three layers of encryption.
Short life sessions
Session data is encrypted and deliberately short lived — sessions expire quickly and authentication is required again, which limits the window in which an unattended or hijacked session could be used. Expired session data is purged from the server every few hours.
Note lockouts
Notes lock after 5 incorrect password attempts, for 5 minutes at a time. The lock applies to the note itself, not the session, which makes distributed brute force attempts impossible.
SSL everywhere
All traffic is forced over SSL/TLS. Connections to NoteShred are always encrypted in transit, with no unencrypted fallback.
Encrypted storage
Attached files are encrypted with a key expanded from your own note password before they're stored, and only decrypted on the fly — for a lifespan of seconds — when the recipient downloads them. Data stays protected at rest as well as in transit and in the browser.