The Basics

How to make a digital time capsule.

A digital time capsule is just a shared photo album that stays locked until a date — or moment — you choose, so opening it together becomes an event instead of another scroll. Here's how to actually set one up.

Step by step

Five decisions, one sealed album.

01

Pick the occasion

A wedding, a trip, a baby's first year, a friend group's senior year — the occasion decides everything else: who's invited, how long it stays sealed, and when it should open.

02

Decide who's contributing

A time capsule is stronger with more angles. Invite everyone who was there — or everyone who should get a say — so the final reveal isn't just one person's version of events.

03

Choose an unlock trigger

Most capsules open on a set date — an anniversary, a birthday, a graduation. Others open when everyone's physically back together, no date required. Some do both.

04

Collect photos as you go

The best time capsules build up over weeks or months, not all at once. Let contributors add in the moment, right after they take the photo, instead of hunting through camera rolls later.

05

Seal it and wait

The lock is the whole point. No previews, no peeking, not even for whoever made it. When the trigger hits, everyone sees the whole story at the exact same moment.

The easy way

Or skip the DIY route entirely.

You can rig this together with a shared folder and a calendar reminder — or Capsule does all five steps for you, with a real lock nobody can bypass.

01

Start a capsule

Pick a name, set the unlock date, and decide who can add. Open by date, when everyone's together in person — or both.

02

Everyone adds in

Invite your people to a private album. They drop in photos and videos from their own perspective — no one sees a thing until the day.

03

Open it together

When the moment arrives, the capsule unlocks for every member at once. No early prints.

What opening one feels like

The wait makes the opening.

Illustrative — based on how people use Capsule during testing, not a verified review. Capsule is in private beta.

"Opened it on New Year's Eve. We all just started screaming. Nobody expected how many photos were in there — I'd forgotten half of them existed."

AH
Alex H.
Summer road trip capsule

Lock it in. Unlock together.

Seal a moment today. Open it together when it matters most.

Join the waitlist

Time capsule ideas by occasion