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HOW IT WORKS

Every way you've ever journaled, in one place.

Write today, scan the notebooks in your closet, and bring your entries from other apps. It all ends up in one private journal you can search and ask.

Start your journal, freeSee the plans
01 · WRITE TODAY

A calm page that keeps up with you.

Open Life Archive and start writing. Nothing to set up, nothing to remember to save.

Example
  • Write on a calm, ruled page, with bold, italics, headings and lists when you want them.
  • Add photos to any entry.
  • Pick a mood, a place and the journals an entry belongs in.
  • Date an entry to the day it happened, even years ago.
  • Everything saves as you type. If your connection drops, your words wait on your device until they're saved.
  • Focus mode hides everything but the page.
  • Voice notes and video. Coming soon
Start today's entry
02 · SCAN YOUR OLD JOURNALS

Bring the notebooks in your closet home.

Your handwriting, typed up word for word, dated and sorted into journals. You check every word before anything is saved.

Example

  1. Scan your pages into a PDF

    Use your phone's document scanner (in the Notes or Files app on iPhone, or Google Drive on Android) or any scanner. Up to 60 pages per upload.

  2. It's typed up, word for word

    Every page is read and typed exactly as you wrote it, spelling and all. Then you read the typed-up text and fix anything you like.

  3. Hard words are marked [unclear]

    A word it can't read is marked [unclear] and highlighted, so you know where to look. It never fills the gap with a guess.

  4. Nothing is saved until you say so

    When it looks right, you continue. Only then is it split into dated entries and added to your journal.

tips for best results

Help it read every word

  • Good, even light: daylight by a window, no flash glare.
  • One page at a time, straight on, with all four edges in view.
  • Lay the page flat. A heavy book holds an old spine open.
  • Dark ink on light paper reads best. Faded pencil may come back [unclear].

What it can't do yet

We'd rather tell you now than have you find out:

  • Take photos directly: for now, put your pages in a PDF first.
  • Show each page beside its typed-up text while you review.
  • Approve entries one at a time: you approve the whole upload, then edit any entry afterwards.
  • Promise the same results in every language: it's been tested with English.
03 · UPLOAD FROM ANOTHER APP

Bring everything you've already written.

Export from your old app, upload the file, check what was found, then import. Dates, photos, tags and journal names come along, and your other app is never changed.

Example

Works with these today

  • Day OneThe JSON export (.zip) with photos.zip .json
  • Apple NotesMarkdown, text or HTML exports, with attachments.zip .md .markdown .txt .html .htm
  • Markdown & textObsidian, Bear, Notion, Joplin, Day One text export.zip .md .markdown .txt
  • EvernoteAn .enex export.enex
  • Word documentA diary kept in .docx.docx
  • Spreadsheet or JSONCSV or JSON from another app; you choose the columns.csv .json
  • PDF (typed)PDFs with selectable text. Handwritten scans go to Upload Journal.pdf

Don't see yours? Tell us which app and we'll look into it. Many apps can export to text, Markdown or PDF, which work today.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Once your journal is in

Everything you write, scan or bring in becomes one journal you can search, browse and ask.

SETTING UP

Questions about getting started

How long does scanning take?
It depends on how many pages you upload. Each page is read carefully, so a long PDF can take several minutes. You can watch it work through the pages one by one.
What if my handwriting is messy?
It works with most handwriting. Words it can't read are marked [unclear] instead of guessed, and you can fix them before anything is saved.
Does it work in other languages?
It's been built and tested with English. Other languages often work, but we haven't tested them yet, so read the typed-up text carefully before you continue.
What about duplicates?
Imports skip entries you've already brought in from the same app and point out entries whose text nearly matches one already in your journal. Scanning skips entries that already exist.
How big can my files be?
Scans: a PDF of up to 60 pages per upload (split a long notebook into a few files). Imports: an export of up to 2 GB and 25,000 files, with photos up to 25 MB each.
Can I edit an entry after it's saved?
Yes. Every entry, written, scanned or imported, opens in the same editor. Imported entries also keep their original text exactly as it came in, so you can always see it.
Can I undo an import?
Yes. Undo removes the entries that import added. Any you've edited or added photos to since are kept.
NEXTAsk your journalAsk a question and get your own words back, with the entries they came from.How Ask works
your story starts with one entry

Write today. Read it again in ten years.

Start with today, or bring home the notebooks in your closet. It takes a minute to begin.

Private by design · Never used to train AI · Never sold
your story starts with one entry

Write today. Read it again in ten years.

Start with today, or bring home the notebooks in your closet.

Start your journal, freeScan an old journal
Private by design · Never used to train AI · Never sold