Encrypt Outlook Email with S/MIME and Microsoft 365

Last Updated On : May 2, 2023

A business’s lifeline is data protection and privacy. Therefore, knowing how to encrypt Outlook email is necessary. Before you learn to encrypt your email, you must understand the meaning of encryption.

Encryption is converting readable text to scrambled cipher text. Therefore, only the text recipient can decipher the message with a private key.

And Outlook supports two encryption options. So, what are they? Let’s learn about them and encrypting in 3…2…1… Go!

How to Encrypt Outlook Email: Outlook’s Two Encryption Options

Outlook supports S/MIME Encryption and Microsoft 365 Message Encryption.

For S/MIME encryption, the sender and recipient’s mail application must support S/MIME.

And for Microsoft 365 Message Encryption, the sender needs Microsoft 365 encryption.

Note- The sender cannot apply IRM protection to an encrypted message using S/MIME. Therefore, you must remove the S/MIME signature for IRM protection.

How to Encrypt Outlook Email | Steps to Encrypt the Email

There are various ways of encrypting messages in Outlook. So, stop wondering how to encrypt Outlook email and start learning S/MIME encryption:

1. Encrypting With S/MIME

• First, add a certificate to your computer’s keychain and set up your signing certificate.
• Next, go to Outlook and the File Menu, and select Options >Trust Center>Trust Center Settings.
• Then, in the left corner, click Email Security
• Thereafter, you have to select Settings under “Encrypted Email.”
• Furthermore, click “Choose” and then the “S/MIME certificate” under the “Certificates and Algorithms” section and click “OK.”

If you’re a Microsoft 365 subscription holder and are an Office Insider, some things will be new to you:

• Once they’re in an email message, select “Options,” then “Encrypt,” and finally the “Encrypt with S/MIME” option from the drop-down menu
• There, you’ll see an “Encrypt with S/MIME” option if you have a S/MIME certificate installed on your computer.
• However, for Outlook 2019 and 2016, select “Options” and “Permissions.”

2. Encrypt with Microsoft 365

Here’s how to encrypt email in Outlook 365:

• First, go to the Email message, click “Options,” and choose “Encrypt.” Then select the encryption you want to apply, such as “Encrypt-Only” or “Do not Forward.” And Encrypt your message.

Furthermore, in Outlook 2019 and 2016, you need to:

• Go to the Email message, and choose “Options>Permissions“. Then, pick the encryption option that has restrictions that you’d enforce.

3. Encrypting Single Messages

Here’s how you can encrypt a single message:

• First, click File >Properties in the message you’re composing
• Then, select the “Encrypt Email Contents and Attachments” box after clicking “Security Settings.”
• Finally, write your mail and hit “Send.”

4. Encrypting all Outgoing Messages

Here’s how you can Encrypt all your outgoing messages:

• First, go to the File tab of the App and select Options >Trust Center>Trust Center Settings
• Next, choose the “Encrypted Email ” option on the Email Security tab, and then under the “Encrypted Email,” check the “Encrypt Contents and Attachments for Outgoing mails” box.
• Finally, to change additional settings, select “Settings.”

Final Words

So, here’re the detailed steps for encrypting Outlook emails. You can follow the steps according to your needs and keep your received and sent messages safe. Therefore, now that you know how to encrypt Outlook email, stop worrying and start working like a pro.

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