FAQ & Support

No — and this is by design. Your password is your encryption key. We use client-side encryption, which means your journal entries are encrypted on your device before they reach our servers. We do not store your password and cannot decrypt your data.

If you forget your password, your encrypted journal content cannot be recovered. This is the tradeoff for true privacy — no one, not even us, can access your private thoughts. We strongly recommend using a password manager and keeping a secure offline backup of your password.

You can still create a new account with the same email, but your previous encrypted entries will be inaccessible.

Email changes can be requested by contacting support. For password changes, note that changing your password re-encrypts your data — you must be logged in and remember your current password. Password reset is available in account settings while logged in.

Always update your password manager after changing credentials.

Contact us at mindskeepsupport@gmail.com with your registered email and we will process account deletion. Upon deletion:

• Your encrypted journal entries are permanently removed from our active database within 30 days
• Your account (email, password hash) is deleted
• Backups may retain data for up to 90 days before automatic purging
• Any active Premium subscription is cancelled (no partial refunds)

We recommend exporting your data as JSON before deleting your account, in case you want to keep a local copy.

2FA is not currently available but is on our roadmap. In the meantime, your account is protected by:

• Firebase Auth's secure password hashing
• Client-side encryption (even if someone accessed your account, they'd need your password to decrypt entries)
• Secure token-based sessions

We recommend using a unique, strong password that you don't use on any other service.

No. Your journal entry content is encrypted on your device using AES-GCM-256 before it is transmitted to our servers. We store only the encrypted ciphertext, which is mathematically unreadable without your password (the encryption key).

This is not a promise — it is a technical constraint. Even if compelled by legal process, we cannot produce the plaintext content of your journal because we never have access to it.

The only exception: if you actively use an AI feature (see "AI Features" section), your entry content is temporarily decrypted in your browser and sent to our backend proxy, which forwards it to an AI provider. This happens only when you explicitly click an AI button.

The following metadata is stored unencrypted to enable app functionality:

• Your email address (for authentication)
• Entry creation and modification dates
• Tags you assign to entries
• Entry titles (if separately provided)
• Word count and character count

We recommend keeping tags and titles general (e.g., "reflection," "anxiety") rather than containing sensitive personal details. The body text of your entries is always encrypted.

Never. We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data or journal content with advertisers, data brokers, or any third party for marketing purposes.

Our revenue comes from Premium subscriptions, not from monetizing your data. This is intentional — a journaling app's business model should never conflict with its users' privacy.

Demo mode entries are stored locally in your browser's localStorage as plain JSON. They are not encrypted, not synced to our servers, and not sent anywhere. Demo entries are cleared when you log out or clear your browser data.

Demo mode is intended for trying the app's features. Do not use it for sensitive or private content — create a free account for encrypted, private journaling.

Yes. You can export all your entries as a JSON file at any time from the app settings. The export includes your entry content (decrypted in your browser during export), metadata, tags, and dates.

Your data is always yours — there is no lock-in. You can take your journal with you if you ever decide to leave MindsKeep.

When you click the "AI Insight" button in the editor, here's what happens:

1. Your encrypted entry is decrypted in your browser (only you can do this)
2. The decrypted text is sent to our backend Cloud Function over HTTPS
3. Our backend forwards it to DeepSeek (primary) or Google Gemini (fallback) for analysis
4. The AI generates up to 5 relevant tags and a one-sentence mood summary in the same language as your entry
5. The results are returned to your browser and displayed in the editor

AI-generated tags and suggestions are stored as entry metadata. You can edit or delete them at any time — they are suggestions, not permanent modifications.

No. AI processing is 100% opt-in. We never automatically scan, analyze, or process your journal entries in the background. Your content is sent to an AI provider only when you explicitly click an AI button (AI Insight, monthly summary, or writing prompt).

You can use MindsKeep entirely without ever using an AI feature — the core journaling, encryption, search, and sync all work without AI.

We use DeepSeek and Google Gemini via their API services. Both providers state that data sent via their APIs is not used to train their public models.

However, we cannot guarantee the internal data retention policies of third-party providers. If you have concerns about AI processing, you can simply not use AI features — your journal remains fully functional without them.

We never use your data to train our own models (we don't train models at all).

The monthly AI summary analyzes all your entries from a selected month and generates a cohesive reflective summary covering:

• Overview — the general mood and major events of the month
• Key Themes — recurring thoughts, people, or topics
• Emotional Journey — how your feelings evolved throughout the month
• Accomplishments & Challenges — what went well and what was difficult

The summary is written in the same language as your entries. This is a Premium feature.

AI-generated tags, summaries, and insights are provided for reflective and informational purposes only. They are generated by language models and may not always be accurate, complete, or nuanced.

AI insights do not constitute professional, medical, or psychological advice. If you are struggling with mental health concerns, please reach out to a qualified healthcare professional or a crisis hotline in your country.

Think of AI features as a thoughtful writing companion that offers perspective — not a diagnostic tool. You always have final say over your tags, summaries, and what meaning you take from them.

Free includes: rich text editor, unlimited entries, tags & search, calendar view, end-to-end encryption, and cloud sync across devices.

Premium ($7.50/year) adds: AI emotional insights (auto tags & mood summary), AI writing prompts, weekly/monthly AI summaries, and priority support.

The core journaling experience is fully available for free. Premium unlocks AI-powered self-discovery features.

You can cancel your Premium subscription at any time through the Stripe Customer Portal (accessible from your account settings) or by contacting us at mindskeepsupport@gmail.com.

Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period. You'll continue to have Premium access until then. No partial refunds are issued for unused time.

Refunds are handled on a case-by-case basis. If you experience a technical issue that prevents you from using the Service, contact us within 14 days of purchase at mindskeepsupport@gmail.com and we'll work with you to resolve it or issue a refund.

We want you to be happy with MindsKeep. If something isn't working right, please reach out before leaving a negative review — we'll do our best to make it right.

We offer annual billing at $7.50/year (about $0.63/month) because:

• It's significantly cheaper than monthly billing — less than a coffee a month
• It reduces payment processing fees, letting us keep prices low
• Journaling is a long-term habit; annual billing aligns with that
• It's 78% less than Day One Premium ($34.99/year)

You can try all Premium features risk-free, and cancel anytime if it's not for you.

1. Try the demo — Click "Try Live Demo" on the homepage to explore the editor, timeline, and features without creating an account.
2. Create a free account — Click "Start Writing Free" and register with your email and a strong password. Write down your password somewhere safe — we can't recover it.
3. Write your first entry — Click the "+" or "New Entry" button. Don't worry about being perfect — just start writing.
4. Explore features — Try tags, the calendar view, search, and (if Premium) AI insights.
5. Build a habit — Even 5 minutes a day makes a difference. Try writing at the same time each day.

MindsKeep works in any modern browser on desktop, tablet, and phone, including:

• Chrome / Edge / Brave (desktop and mobile)
• Safari (macOS and iOS)
• Firefox (desktop and mobile)

Your encrypted entries sync across all your devices when you're logged in. The app is responsive and works well on both small phone screens and large desktop monitors.

For the best experience, we recommend keeping your browser updated to the latest version.

Direct one-click import from Day One, Journey, or other apps is not currently available, but it's on our roadmap.

In the meantime, you can manually copy and paste entries into MindsKeep. Since entries are encrypted on your device, you can paste text directly into the editor and it will be encrypted before syncing.

If you have a large number of entries to import, contact us and we may be able to help with a bulk import on a case-by-case basis.

Focus Mode is an immersive writing environment that minimizes distractions. When activated, it plays ambient 432Hz sound and provides a clean, distraction-free interface with auto-save.

432Hz is a frequency often associated with calm, relaxation, and meditative states. Many people find it helpful for focused writing and reflection. The sound is optional — you can toggle it on or off at any time, and it requires your device's audio to be enabled.

Focus Mode is available for all users (free and Premium).

We're here to help! Reach us at:

• Email: mindskeepsupport@gmail.com
• Response time: Typically within 48 hours (often faster for Premium users)

When contacting support, please include:

• Your registered email address
• A description of the issue or question
• Steps to reproduce (if it's a bug)
• Your browser and device (if it's a technical issue)

We read every message and appreciate your feedback — feature requests and bug reports help us make MindsKeep better for everyone.