How-to Send Encrypted Email Outlook

To send an encrypted email from Outlook you don’t need to set up anything. You can simply compose a new email and encrypt it:

Open Outlook and compose a new email. Simply add the recipient, subject, and body. You can also add attachments to the email, just like you normally do:

The next step is to encrypt the email:
– Select Options
– Click on Encrypt

You can also select other options under encrypt which I will explain later.
It’s possible to move the Encrypt button to the first tab “Message”. This will save you one extra click to encrypt emails.

After you have applied the encryption you will see a small note above the address fields that the email is encrypted.

Click on Send to send the email to the recipient(s).

If the recipient is using Outlook then they receive the secure email with the original subject and a lock icon.

Outlook will verify the recipient in the background after you double-click on the email. It will then open just like a normal email.

Opening a Secure Email in other Mail Clients

The recipient does not need to have Outlook or Office 365 to open the encrypted email. When you send a secure email to Gmail for example the recipient will see only the subject and a button to the read the message.

When you click on Read the message you will be sent to Outlook Online where you need to verify your account. Depending on the client, this can be done with a One-time passcode which will be sent to the intended recipient or by signing with the identity provider of your mail client (Gmail, Yahoo ID, Personal Microsoft Account)

After verification, you can read the email and attachment in the Outlook Online environment. The recipient can reply or forward (when allowed) the email while keeping the encryption in place.

Send Encrypted Email from Office 365

Office 365 secure emails can be send using Outlook Online. The principal and technique are the same as with Outlook, only the menu looks a bit different.

1. Compose a new email in Outlook Online
2. Select Encrypt in the toolbar
3. Click Change Permissions if you also want to prevent forwarding of the email
4. Click Send when done.

If you don’t see the encrypt button, then click on the 3 dots. You can also add the encrypt button to the bottom toolbar:

1. Select the gear icon and choose All Outlook Settings
2. Select Mail
3. Choose Customize Actions
4. Enable Encrypt.

Prevent forwarding of emails in Outlook

You can not only encrypt emails in Outlook but also prevent them from being forwarded. This way you can ensure that the email will on be read by the person you have to send it to.

When you apply the encryption on a new message in Outlook you get a couple of options:

• Encrypt
• Do Not Forward
• Confidential
• Highly Confidential

When selecting Do Not Forward the email will be encrypted and can’t be forwarded, printed, and you can’t copy the content. This way you can be sure that only the intended recipient can read the content of the email.

Move the Encrypt button in Outlook

A small tip that will make encrypting messages a little bit easier in Outlook is to move the encrypt button from the Options tab to the Message tab. This way, when you are typing a new email, you can encrypt it with one click.

• Open a new mail
• Right-click on the toolbar
• Choose Customize the ribbon
• Expand Options in the right column
• Select Encrypt
• Use the up arrow to move it to New Mail Message

Remove encryption from send emails

In Outlook it is possible to remove the encryption of the email after you have sent it. After you have removed the encryption recipient can read the email without verification.

• Go to your send items in Outlook
• Open the encrypted mail that you have sent
• Select File and select Unrestricted Access under Encrypt.