Create a digital time capsule that opens on the day you choose
Write a letter, add photos or a voice note and seal it until a date up to ten years away. On that day the capsule arrives by email, for you or for someone you love. A free account includes two a year.
Write your letter.
Write as much as you like first. Sending it takes a free account (one tap with Apple or Google), and your draft stays saved on this device.
What is a digital time capsule?
A digital time capsule is a message you seal today and open on a set date in the future. It holds a letter, photos and recordings in place of objects in a box, and a service delivers it on the day, so nobody has to remember where it was buried.
The ritual is the same one schools and families have kept for a century: write down who you are now, put it away and meet it again later. Plenty of buried capsules were never found again. A digital one keeps the ritual and drops the digging.
How do you make a digital time capsule?
- 01
Write the letter
Type what you want to say. If the page stays blank, start from a moment such as “to my future self” or “for my child one day” and we fill in the first line.
- 02
Add photos and your voice
With a free account you can attach up to four photos and record a voice note in the browser. Everything is encrypted on your device before upload.
- 03
Choose the date and the recipient
Pick any date from tomorrow to ten years out and the email address that should receive it. Add a backup address in case that inbox is gone by then.
- 04
Seal it
Once sealed, the date is fixed. On the day, the recipient gets a private link that opens the capsule in their browser.
What can you put in a digital time capsule?
The things people treasure on opening day are the ones that are hardest to recreate later:
- A letter to your future self about where you are right now
- Photos of an ordinary day: your desk, your street, the view from the kitchen
- A voice note, so the recipient hears you as well as reads you
- This year’s prices, songs and headlines
- Predictions you want to check later
- A message for a child to open at 18, or for a partner on an anniversary
Digital or physical: which should you choose?
| Digital capsule on timedrop.it | Physical capsule | |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery | Arrives by email on the date | Someone has to remember it and dig it up |
| Contents | A letter, up to four photos and a voice note | Anything that fits in the box |
| Durability | Stored encrypted on a server, delivered as a link | Damp, heat and forgotten locations are the usual failures |
| Cost | Two a year free with an account, then $3 each | A sealed container and whatever goes in it |
| Best for | Words, voices and photos with a fixed date | Objects you want to hold again |
Many people do both: objects in a box at home and the letter sent digitally, so the words arrive even if the box is forgotten.
Is a digital time capsule private?
Your letter, photos and voice note are encrypted in your browser with AES-256 before upload, and each capsule’s key is sealed with a server key kept outside the database. The open link receives the key only after the unlock date. This is encryption at rest, and the FAQ explains exactly what our server can and cannot do.
What does it cost?
A free account includes two capsules a year with every feature: photos, voice notes, private capsules and dates up to ten years away. Extra capsules are $3 each, with no subscription. You can start writing before you sign up, and your draft stays saved.
Guides for your capsule
The best things to put in a time capsule, sorted by occasion (for a family, a couple, a new baby, yourself or a whole class) plus what to avoid.
Read more →A practical guide to building a digital time capsule that still opens in a decade. Which formats last, where to store it and how to make sure it actually gets delivered.
Read more →An honest comparison of digital and physical time capsules (durability, cost, emotion and delivery) to help you choose (or do both).
Read more →Fun, easy time capsule ideas for kids. What to include, how to make it together and when to open it. A simple project with a big emotional payoff.
Read more →A step-by-step classroom time capsule plan: what students write, how to run it in one lesson, and how to make sure the capsule reaches them years later.
Read more →The details you’ll forget faster than you think, and how to capture them now. A simple new-baby time capsule guide, plus what to write for them to open later.
Read more →Questions about digital time capsules
How long can a digital time capsule stay sealed?
Up to ten years. The earliest date is tomorrow.
Can I send a digital time capsule to someone else?
Yes. Any email address can receive it and you can add a backup address. The recipient does not need an account to open it.
What happens if nobody opens it?
We send a reminder 24 hours after delivery and another after 72 hours. The capsule stays available for a year after delivery and can be downloaded as a PDF with its photos and voice note.
Is a digital time capsule free?
A free account includes two a year, and extra capsules are $3 each. Sending needs the account, which you can create after you have written.
Can a class make a digital time capsule together?
Yes. Students can each write a letter set to arrive on the same day, graduation for example. The classroom guide shows how to run it in one lesson.
Seal your first capsule today
It takes about ten minutes, and a free account includes two a year.
Start writing →