How a burn-after-reading message works here
- Write your message in the box above and leave the expiry on 1 view.
- Send the link by chat, email or text. Anyone who opens it lands on a page that says the message will self-destruct, with a single “Show message” button.
- The recipient presses the button. The text appears once, and that view is used up at the same moment.
- After that, the link is dead. Opening it again, from any device, shows that the message is gone.
Why the “Show message” step matters
Most chat apps open a link the moment you send it, to build the little preview card with a title and an image. WhatsApp and iMessage do it from the sender’s phone; Slack, Telegram and Discord do it from their own servers. Company email systems often visit links too, checking them for malware before you ever click.
On a site that burns a note on the first visit, that automatic visit is the one read. Your friend then opens the link and finds nothing. TxtVanish never shows the message on the first visit: previews and scanners only ever see the self-destruct page, and the view is counted when a person presses the button. We explain the whole problem in why chat apps burn one-time links.
Pick how many reads it gets
One view suits most things: a door code, a one-off password, a phone number you don’t want sitting in a group chat. When several people need to read the same message, choose Custom and set up to 100 views, for example 4 views for a team of four. Each person still has to press “Show message”, and the counter drops with every read.
You can also combine a view limit with a password. The recipient then needs both the link and the password, which you tell them some other way, such as a phone call.
Know when it’s been read, without opening it yourself
Opening your own link to “check it works” uses up the view. Keep the sender link you get after creating the message instead. It shows whether the message has been opened, and when it was first and last opened, without counting as a view. If plans change, you can delete the message from there before anyone reads it.
Things people burn after reading
- The Wi-Fi password for a guest, or the lockbox code for a holiday rental.
- A bank account number for a one-off transfer, sent to the one person who needs it.
- Two-factor recovery codes being handed to a partner or a colleague who covers for you.
- A private phone number or address that shouldn’t live in a shared chat.
- Feedback or a note you’d rather not leave sitting in someone’s inbox.
What self-destructing can’t do
A message that vanishes still passes through a person. The recipient can copy it, take a screenshot or photograph the screen, so only send it to someone you trust with its contents. And whoever gets the complete link first can open it. If the link might be forwarded, add a password. If the message is really sensitive, send the link and the password by different routes.