How to Encrypt Email in Outlook? The Complete Guide

Email is one of the best sources of communication in today’s digital era. The speed, accuracy, and user-friendliness of emails make them the preferred choice of companies for day-to-day interaction.

However, like every other mode of communication, emails are also vulnerable to cybersecurity risks. Over the years, incidents involving data breaches from corporate emails have become common. To address this challenge, encrypting emails is considered the safest method to safeguard data privacy while communicating via email.

Hence, this article tells readers how to encrypt email in Outlook and maintain a secure email environment.

Let’s dive in!

How to Encrypt an Email in Outlook?

Encrypting an email in Outlook is as easy as you like. Here’s how you can do this:

Step 1: Launch the Microsoft Outlook desktop app on your computer. Under Home, click on New Email.

Step 2. In your New Email Window, click Options and then click the Encrypt button with a lock icon. Choose “Encrypt Only” to encrypt your email.

Step 3: The next window will display this banner showing your email will be encrypted. Compose your message and send it to your desired recipient. Your email will be end-to-end encrypted and there will be no risk of a data breach since the information between email users will now be secure.

How to Encrypt All Emails in Outlook?

Tired of encrypting individual emails one by one while sending email batches to multiple users? Don’t worry, Outlook allows users to encrypt all emails by following these simple steps:

Launch the Outlook app and click on the File button in the top-left corner of your screen.

From the left column, click on Options.

From Outlook options, click on Trust Center.

Now, go to the Trust Center settings

In Email Security, select the Encrypt contents and attachments for outgoing messages check box under Encrypted Email.

Encrypt contents and attachments for outgoing messages in outlook

Press OK twice to save your settings. All your Outlook emails will now be end-to-end encrypted and secure.

How to Open an Encrypted Email in Outlook (If You Are or Are Not on Outlook)

There are two different scenarios to open an encrypted Email in Outlook. The first is when you are on Outlook, while the second one is when you are not on Outlook. Let’s discuss each of these scenarios in detail on-by-one:

How to Open an Encrypted Email in Outlook (If You Are On Outlook)

If you are on Outlook and want to open an encrypted email, follow these simple steps:

Go to your Outlook inbox and locate the encrypted email. The subject line will be starting with [Secure] word to let users know that this message is confidential and they have received an encrypted message. But as you are in Outlook, no need to do any other things to check the email.

How to Open an Encrypted Email in Outlook (If You Are Not On Outlook)

Here’s the second scenario. Suppose you’re a non-Outlook user and trying to open an encrypted email in Outlook. Here’s how you can do this:

Step 1. Open your Gmail and open the encrypted email. The body will show the name and email of the person who has sent you an encrypted email. Besides, there will be a blue-colored button Read the message under the lock icon. Click this button and proceed to the next step.

Step 2. A new window will appear giving you two options to view the encrypted message: Sign in with Google or Sign in with a one-time passcode. You can choose either option.

Step 3. If you clicked on the second option, the screen will show the window where you have to enter the one-time passcode. Go to your Gmail inbox again and copy the one-time passcode.

One time passcode to check encrypted email gmail

Step 4. Finally, go back to the previous screen, enter the one-time passcode, and click Continue to open the encrypted message. Now you can check the encrypted email.

Outlook Encrypted Email Won’t Open? Here Are the Fixes!

Some Outlook users struggle to open encrypted emails due to different reasons. If you are also having the same issue, here are a few ways you can open an encrypted email:

Reading an Encrypted Email in Outlook

Outlook users with an active Microsoft 365 email account don’t have to do anything special to open protected messages. They can view the encrypted email without as usual without doing any additional steps.

Reading an Encrypted Email with Sign in

To view the encrypted message as a non-Outlook user, open your Gmail and tap Click here to read your message.
In the next window, click Sign in with Google.
Once have entered your credentials and signed into your Gmail account, select Allow.
A new browser tab will open with your protected message.

Reading an Encrypted Email a Single-use Code

Users with a Yahoo email account often require a single-use code to view the encrypted message. If you are also a Yahoo user, open the encrypted email and select Read the message

Go to your Yahoo inbox where you have received a single-use code. Copy that code and enter it in the browser window.

Click Continue and view your encrypted message.

Final Words

Maintaining data privacy is the primary consideration of email communication. The best way to secure private email conversations is to encrypt emails.

We have explained different ways how to encrypt email in Outlook in this article. Users can follow these steps to encrypt a single email or all emails in Outlook and secure their confidential information from cybersecurity risks.

Besides, you have also learned how to open encrypted emails in Outlook, Gmail, or Yahoo.