When temp.cool is the better fit
Privnote is one of the oldest and best-known tools for notes that self-destruct after reading. temp.cool does the same job and adds a few things people often ask for:
- EU storage. Useful if you work for a European company or with clients who ask where data lives.
- A password on the link. Share it by phone. After 4 wrong tries the message is destroyed.
- More than one view. Let a note open up to 10 times, for example for a small team.
- A timer from 5 minutes to 30 days. Unread notes delete themselves.
- A read receipt you control. Your manage link shows “opened” and lets you shred the note before anyone reads it.
- English and Dutch, no account, no ads, no trackers on message pages.
How the encryption works
Your browser encrypts the note with AES-256-GCM before it leaves your device. The key sits in the part of the link after the #, which browsers never send to a server. temp.cool stores only scrambled text it cannot read. The security page explains every step.
Watch out for look-alike sites
Popular note services attract copycats. Security researchers have reported look-alike Privnote domains that quietly changed the messages passing through them. Whatever tool you use, type its address yourself or use a bookmark, and check the domain before you paste a secret.
Switching is easy
There is nothing to migrate. Open temp.cool, paste your note, pick a timer and send the link.