dear-self.org
Removing your data: Dear Self
Last updated: 7 October 2026
Dear Self has no account and no server, so there is nothing for us to delete on our end. Everything you write lives on your device, and you are the one who can remove it.
Erase everything in the app
Open Settings and tap your name at the top. On the "You" screen, tap "Erase everything on this device". The next screen, "Start over", asks you to type "erase" to confirm, then tap "Erase everything". If you want a copy first, tap "Back up first" on that screen.
This removes everything Dear Self keeps on this device, including the encryption key held in your device's secure storage. We don't keep a copy, so it can't be undone. After it finishes, the app starts fresh at onboarding.
Delete a single letter
On the Self tab, open "Letters forward", press and hold a letter, then choose "Delete". Once a page is saved, the app doesn't remove it on its own. To clear your pages, use "Erase everything" above.
If you uninstall instead
Uninstalling Dear Self removes the app's saved pages from your device. On iPhone, the encryption key held in the keychain may stay on the device after an uninstall. Erasing inside the app first is the complete wipe.
Backups you made
If you saved an encrypted backup to your own storage (iCloud, Drive or anywhere else), it stays there until you delete it. Remove it the way you would any other file. We have no copy.