PlainText is a no-account sharing tool. This page explains, in plain language, what happens to what you share.
What we store
- The text or files you share, so the people you give the link or code to can open them.
- A 6-digit code that points to your share, and the time it was created and expires.
We don't have accounts, so nothing is tied to a name or email address.
How long we keep it
You choose when a share expires. Text can last up to 7 days and files up to 24 hours (each file up to 100 MB). An expired share stops opening immediately, and a cleanup job removes the data from storage shortly after. There is currently no button to delete a share early, so choose a short expiry for anything sensitive.
Who can see your share
Anyone who has the link or the code. Links are long and random. Codes are only 6 digits, so treat them like a short-lived meeting number rather than a password, and don't share secrets such as passwords or private keys here.
Shares are sent over HTTPS and stored encrypted at rest by our storage provider, but they are not end-to-end encrypted: the site operator could technically read stored content.
Logs, IP addresses and cookies
- Our hosting providers (Vercel and Cloudflare) process standard request data such as IP address and browser type to deliver the service.
- We temporarily use your IP address, for up to an hour, to limit abuse (for example guessing codes).
- No advertising, no analytics and no tracking cookies.
- Your browser keeps a list of your recent shares, plus your theme and paste preferences, in local storage. That data never leaves your device and you can clear it from the Recent page.
Reporting a problem
If you find content that shouldn't be here, use the contact link in the footer and include the share code.