How to Encrypt Email in Outlook on Windows, iOS, and Android

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Email encryption is the best method of hiding the content of your email messages to prevent unwanted email contacts from reading them. When sent via email, personal information, such as credit card numbers, passwords, login credentials, and bank account numbers, are vulnerable. You should encrypt all emails as they consist of sensitive information. If you are looking for ways on how to encrypt email in Outlook, the following guide will come in very handy.

However, before diving into this comprehensive guide, let’s learn the types of email encryption for better understanding for different outlook versions.

Types of Email Encryption in Outlook

Two types of email encryption exist in Outlook. One is PGP/ MIME and S/ MIME. It is important for both parties (Receiver and Sender) to have a similar type of encryption so that the recipient can decrypt an email that the sender encrypts.

The first type of Email encryption is PGP/ MIME. Read and follow the below-mentioned to know more about it.

The recipient must possess both public and private encryption keys, and the sender should have the public key
PGP/ MIME uses a decentralized and distributed model of trust.
Web-based email clients are fairly easy to use with this type.
Free to get a certificate that is rare as S/ MIME doesn’t have this feature.
It requires third-party tools as it is not supported by the authentic email clients.

Another type of email encryption is S/ MIME. It is built into most devices including OSX and iOS. Sometimes, you will see a 5 kilobytes attachment called ‘smime.p7s’ when you receive an email message sent from a Macbook, iPhone, or any iOS device. This annex verifies the receiver’s identity so that the email can be read-only by him.

Recipients must be in the organization of senders or in the past, must have received at least one signed email from the sender
S/ MIME is way easier to maintain
This type of encryption selects the encryption algorithm and key size from a centralized authority
Because of iOS’s built-in support with the collaboration of Outlook, S/ MIME-type is distributed quite widely.
It is harder to configure when you use internet-based email providers like Gmail.

Hence, our tech experts suggest all the users who are seeking help in How to Encrypt Email in Outlook, must prefer PGP/ MIME as it’s more convenient and cheaper. Still, in case, some of you want to learn another type. We will be covering both the procedures in easy-to-execute steps.

How to Encrypt Email In Outlook 2016?

Before encrypting email in Outlook, make sure that you have a digital certificate from an authentic organization. In case, you do not have one, follow the enlisted steps to create one, and then proceed with the ‘how to send encrypted email in Outlook’ guide.

Open your operating system and click on the ‘Start’ icon.
Go to File and drop-down the ‘Options’ tab.
Expands its further options and click on ‘Trust Center’ and further select the option of ‘Trust Center Settings’.
Find an option of ‘Email Security’ and hit on the ‘Get a Digital ID’ tab.
Select ‘The Type of Certification Authority’ that you want to receive from.

(We would suggest you choose ‘Comodo’).

Once you follow these steps carefully, you will receive the ‘Digital ID’ you requested in the form of an email message. Download the certificate and proceed towards the method of how to encrypt email in Outlook by following the subsequent steps.

Open Outlook 2016 and navigate towards the ‘Tools’.
Drop-down its options and click on the ‘Options’ tab.
Further, select the tab of ‘Security’ and open it.
Enter your ‘Name of your choice’ when you are asked to fill the ‘Security Settings Name’.
Select the ‘S/MIME’ option as the ‘Types of Email Encryption’ near the ‘Secure Message Format box’.
Check the box that reads, ‘The Default Security Setting’.
Now, click on the ‘Certificates and Algorithms’ and drop-down its options, select the ‘Signing Certificate’ tab.
Click on the ‘Choose’ tab and select the ‘Secure Email Certificate’ from the ‘Select Certificate box’.
Choose the option of ‘Send these Certificates with Signed Messages’ and click on ‘Ok’ when you are asked to confirm.
At last, click on the ‘Save the Settings’ to finish the process and get back to your Outlook home page.

Congrats! Now, you have finally created a ‘Digital Signature’ to be included in your email message that will not appear by default. In order to attach them, follow the below mentioned steps:

Now, on the homepage of ‘Outlook’, navigate towards ‘New Message’ and click on it.
Click on the ‘Tools’ and expand its options to further select ‘Customize’.
Hit on the ‘Commands’ tab and drop-down its ‘Categories list’.
Choose the ‘Standard’ option among them and click on the ‘Digitally Sign Message’.
You can tap and hold the listing to your toolbar, so just click on that and add your digital signature.
At last, click on the ‘Encrypt Message Contents and Attachments’ and drag it onto the toolbar.

Let us tell you that this process can be applied to all versions of Outlook, some of which are given in the table below.

Send Encrypted Email in Outlook 2013	Send Encrypted Email in Outlook 2016
Send Encrypted Email in Outlook 2010	Send Encrypted Email in Outlook 365

How to Send Encrypted Email In Outlook?

Here are the essential steps that you need to follow in order to learn how to send encrypted email in Outlook 2016 or any other version of Outlook.

To reply or send an encrypted email, you must read the email message. Microsoft Outlook users will be driven to the Outlook Web to read the message on Semi-Annual Channel. Users with other email accounts receive a one-time password and read the message in an internet browser window. Now, follow the below-mentioned steps to proceed towards how to send encrypted email in Outlook.

If you want to create an encrypted email message, click on the ‘Options’ tab towards the ‘top-left’ corner of the Outlook home screen.
Once the ‘Options’ tab opens, click on the ‘arrow’ near the ‘More Options’.
Navigate towards the ‘Properties’ and open its dialog box.
Here you will see a button that reads, ‘Security Settings’, click on it.
When the ‘Security Properties’ dialog box shows up on your screen.
Now, choose the tab of ‘Encrypt Message Contents and Attachments’ and hit on ‘OK’.
With the help of your ‘Private Exchange key’ access the ‘Signing Data dialog box’.
Here, open and create an encrypted email message and click on the ‘Close’ to finish the process of how to send encrypted email in Outlook.

We hope you could create and send an encrypted email message to your desired email contact. Now, follow the next to know how to open encrypted email in Outlook.

How to Open Encrypted Email In Outlook?

Here are the steps that you must follow if you want to read the encrypted email messages in Outlook.

Start your Outlook profile and ‘Read’ the ‘Encrypted Email message’.
Then Select the option of ‘How you want to sign in to read the encrypted message’.
After that, Select the ‘Email Provider’ such as ‘Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft’ and Sign in with your respective account.
Select the option of ‘Sign in with a one-time password’ and copy and paste the code in the required place.

(Each password gets expired within 15 minutes later. If you cannot open the OTP for some reason, you can not open the post request for a new one.)

Click on the ‘Continue’.

After you follow the above-mentioned steps of how to open encrypted email in Outlook 2013 or any other version of Outlook and enter the correct one-time password you will be able to send or reply to the encrypted email.

Also Read: How To Pin An email In Outlook