How To Encrypt Email In Outlook

Jason Moore

Whether for work or personal business, knowing how to encrypt your email is an important skill. Today, I will show you how to do that.

Introduction

Microsoft supports encryption in all of its modern products. These include Office365, Outlook for the Web, and the various clients. You can choose either the Office Message Encryption or S/MIME methods.

S/MIME In Outlook Client

Your Office365 admin will need to set up the proper certificates for this to work. They should install these certificates in Active Directory. The admin in question should know about this, so you do not have to do anything about this. When properly set up, users can configure their own email application. 

  1. Select <File> at the top in your menu
  2. Select <Options>
  3. Select <Trust Center>
  4. Select <Trust Center Settings>
  5. Select <Email Security>
  6. Select <Settings>
  7. Select <Choose for Encryption Certificate> under Certificates and Algorithms
  8. Select the users <S/MIME> certificate and select Ok

Now you can start encrypting emails. To encrypt an email:

  1. Select <Options> in the menu
  2. Select <Encrypt> and choose Encrypt with S/MIME
  3. Select <Send> once you are done writing

Office Message Encryption In Outlook Client

It is much easier to encrypt email using this method. However, not everyone will have a subscription. Otherwise, this would be the recommended method. Open Outlook on your desktop and start a new email.

  1. Select <Options>
  2. Select <Encrypt> and of the other options, depending on your needs.
  3. Select <Send>

Outlook on the Web Encryption

This is a similar process to what we have already seen. Go to Outlook.com and sign in from your web browser of choice. 

  1. Select <New Message>
  2. Select <Encrypt> on the top bar

You have the option of regular encryption and also to not forward your encrypted email. It is your preference. 

Conclusion

S/MIME and Office Message Encryption from Microsoft both encrypt emails. They also give you the choice of restrictions to place on the message. If you do a lot of encryption, I recommend getting an Office subscription. I say this because the process to encrypt is much easier.  

 

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