Email is not always secure. Messages can be intercepted or manipulated at multiple points in their journey from sender to recipient. Encrypting your emails can help to protect your privacy and security by reducing the chance of interception. Here's how to encrypt an email in Outlook.
Microsoft Outlook provides simple encryption types that enable users to protect their emails in transit. Let’s take a look at how to encrypt an email in Outlook using the most common method (S/MIME).
S/MIME encryption is a widely used protocol for encrypting email communications in transit.
To encrypt your email in Outlook, you will need to create a digital certificate.
A digital certificate is like a passport for the internet. It proves who you are and allows you to do things like send encrypted emails and access websites that require security.
Both sender and recipient must have a valid certificate linked to their email account to use S/MIME encryption.
Before you can enable S/MIME encryption in Outlook, you’ll need to create and set up a digital ID certificate within Outlook.
If you don’t already have a Digital ID created, Microsoft recommends some popular Digital ID service providers.
Your organisation will have specific policies on the use of digital IDs and certificates, so if in doubt, contact your network administrator.
Once you have downloaded your Digital ID certificate, you'll need to add it to your Outlook client:
Now that you have created your Digital ID, you can set up S/MIME encryption in Outlook. Simply follow these steps:
With S/MIME encryption enabled in Outlook, you can now compose and send an encrypted email:
When you or your recipient receives an encrypted email, Outlook will automatically decrypt it for you. All you need to do is:
Note: if you have an E3 or E5 Microsoft 365 plan, you may have access to Microsoft’s more advanced secure email method, Microsoft Purview Message Encryption. You can learn more about Microsoft Purview Message Encryption in our Microsoft 365 secure email vs Mailock review. |
Encrypting your emails is a simple way to protect your personal privacy. However, encryption is not enough to secure highly sensitive information against all threats, and Microsoft advisers against using even its more advanced encryption methods as a security barrier.
If you’re looking for a solution designed to secure sensitive business information, you will need to consider more robust solutions.
There are several secure email solutions on the market that offer more advanced, more widely compatible protections for your sensitive communications, including our own solution, Mailock.
Our Mailock Outlook add-in brings additional security capabilities to your Outlook email client, including: