Digital Time Capsules
Bury a piece of today. Dig it up years from now.
The old shoebox in the closet. The note tucked inside a yearbook. WordsLater is the digital version - a sealed bundle of letters, photos, videos, and memories that opens at the date you choose, for the people you choose. Build one for yourself, your family, your class, or your team. Open it together one day.
Kinds of Time Capsules People Build
Some personal, some shared, all unforgettable.
The Friend Group Capsule
Each friend records a 1-minute video. Add the in-jokes, the photos, the soundtrack of this year. Open together at a future reunion - or the next big birthday.
Open on her 40th birthday Start this idea →Seal something today. Open it years from now.
Start your first time capsule free. Add to it anytime before it's sealed.
Start Free See FeaturesPick When It Opens
Most capsules are scheduled for a specific date or anniversary.
Quick Capsule
A "year in review" you mail to yourself. Great way to build the habit before committing to a longer one.
Short Horizon
Long enough that things will have changed in ways you can't predict - short enough you'll still recognize yourself.
Classic Capsule
The traditional time-capsule horizon. A full chapter of life later. Reunions, decade birthdays, anniversaries.
Long Capsule
For the grandchild born today. For the 25th anniversary. For the child opening it as an adult. Built to last.
How to Build a Time Capsule
Four steps. About 30 minutes for a great one.
Decide who it's for and when it opens
Just you? Your family? A whole class? Pick the date or anniversary it'll be unsealed. Everything else flows from this.
Gather your contents
Letters, photos, videos, voice notes, scanned mementos. Anything you'd want a future self - or a future loved one - to see.
Invite contributors (optional)
For shared capsules, send invites by email. Each contributor adds their own letters, photos, or videos - nothing they add is visible to anyone else until the capsule opens.
Seal it
When you're ready, seal the capsule. It's locked, encrypted, and held safely until the day it's scheduled to open - then delivered to every recipient at the same moment.
Capsule Contents Checklist
- A letter to whoever opens it
- 5-10 photos that capture today
- A short video walking around your home
- A voice note about what life feels like right now
- A list of songs on heavy rotation
- The price of milk, gas, and a movie ticket
- Headlines from today's news
- What you're hopeful and worried about
- A predictions list to grade later
- Something silly only future-you will get
For Shared / Group Capsules
- Each person contributes one letter
- Each person records a 1-2 minute video
- A group photo from today
- An "in-jokes" list everyone adds to
- Predictions about where everyone will be
- Top 3 memories from this past year, per person
- A shared playlist of "songs of right now"
- A founders' / class / team manifesto
- Photos of the place you're all in today
- A "what we want to remember" note
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people can contribute to a single capsule?
There's no hard cap. Family capsules are usually 2-10 contributors; class and team capsules sometimes have hundreds. Each contributor gets their own invite link to add letters, photos, and videos.
Can contributors see what others have added before the capsule opens?
No. Contributions stay private to the person who added them until the capsule's open date. That's part of what makes opening day special.
Can I add to a capsule after I've started it?
Yes - until you seal it. You can also leave a capsule "unsealed" until a date that's close to its open date if you want to keep adding content over time.
What file types can I include?
Photos, videos, audio, PDFs, and most common document formats. See full details on our Features page.
What happens to a capsule if one contributor's email changes?
We periodically prompt contributors to confirm their contact info, and you can update recipients on your end at any time before the open date.
How far in the future can I schedule a capsule to open?
Digital capsules can be scheduled to open up to 75 years out - long enough for graduation, retirement, or a milestone anniversary decades from now.
What if I want to cancel a capsule before it opens?
The owner of the capsule can pause, edit (before sealing), or delete it at any time before the open date. Once delivered, copies stay with each recipient.
