# What does the dead man's switch delete, and what stays on my devices?

Only the copy on the server. When the switch is on and none of your devices goes online for the period you chose, anywhere from 1 month to 5 years, the server deletes your encrypted notes, their history, your files and your settings. It waits two more weeks after the period ends before it deletes anything, as a safety margin: a device that goes online during those two weeks still stops the deletion. Your account stays, so your recovery phrase still signs you in, and Pro stays. A storage subscription stays too, and keeps renewing. There is no email warning, and the deletion cannot be undone.

Your devices keep their notes. When a device comes back online after a deletion, it stops syncing and asks you first: download a backup of everything it holds, which you can [restore](https://privacynotes.app/help/restore-backup/) later, then remove the notes from that device. It signs out, and the next sign-in starts in the empty account. A file that this device never opened can already be gone from the server, and the backup then lists it as missing. Keep the app updated on every device, because an older version cannot ask first.

Turn it on in Settings > ID & Sync > "Dead man's switch" and choose the period. Opening the app online on any of your devices starts the time again, and the "Deletes on" date in that tab shows the earliest day the deletion can happen, with the two weeks included. Turn the switch off at any time to stop it.

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Source: https://privacynotes.app/help/dead-mans-switch