How to keep a private diary

A private diary is one that other people cannot open. On my-diary.org that is the default. A new diary is private, it is not listed for the public, and reading it takes your email address and password.

What "private" means here

Private means the diary stays behind your login. It is not a promise that nobody could ever see a screen you left unlocked, or a backup you downloaded and left on a shared computer. Those parts are yours to look after.

You can later set the whole diary to public, under Account. You can set it back to private. A page is shown to other people only when both the diary and that entry are public, so switching the diary back to private hides it again.

Mixed mode, where some entries are public and some stay private, is part of a subscription. One mode keeps entries private unless you share them. The other keeps them public unless you mark one private. If you do not need that, leave the diary private and write.

The password

• The first password is created for you when you confirm your email. Change it under Account to something you do not use anywhere else.
• If you forget it, reset it from the password reset page. The reset goes to your email, so keep that address one you can still open.
• Log out on a computer that is not yours. A logged-in browser is an open diary.
• Linking Google or X only changes how you log in. It does not publish the diary.

What to leave out, even in private

Write the honest version. Also assume that one day you might want to share a single entry, or that someone might see your screen. A few habits keep a private diary from becoming a problem later:

• Other people's secrets are still their secrets. Use a first name, or no name.
• Passwords, bank details, and ID numbers do not belong in an entry. A diary is a bad safe.
• Your full name, address, and workplace are optional. You already know who you are.
• If you add a picture, remember that a face or a street can identify you if that entry is ever public.

A copy of your own

Under Account, Make backup builds a file of your diary. It can take a moment. Download it when the link appears, and keep that file somewhere you control. A backup is a copy, so treat it as private too.

A secret diary and a private diary are the same idea: it is not shared, and it is where you can write what you would not say in a room. If you want other people to read it, but not to know your real name, that is a different choice. See how to write an anonymous diary.

Starting from nothing is covered in how to start a diary.