How to Send an Encrypted Email

Owned by Preston Merkel
Last updated: Nov 21, 2024 by Lauren Crosson (Deactivated)
3 min read

This article explains how to encrypt a message using Outlook or Outlook.com

IMPORTANT: This article will make references to Confidential information (“CI”), Personal data (“PD”), or High-risk confidential information (“HRI”). For definitions of these terms see the Data Privacy Policy listed on Policies and Regulations for the most up to date definitions.

How do I encrypt my messages?

Not sure if you need to encrypt your message? See When You Should Encrypt Your Email for help.

Using the Outlook application on Windows

  1. Compose a new message from within Outlook.

  2. In the ribbon of the new message, click on Option then click on the icon above “Encrypt”. If the icon is missing, see the bottom of this section for help.

  3. Once encryption is enabled, a message will appear to confirm encryption is turned on for this message.

Is the icon missing?

On older versions of Microsoft Outlook, this option may not be available. Please see Using the Outlook.com website section below to send your message in the web version of Outlook. If you will be sending encrypted mail frequently, feel free to contact servicedesk@seattleu.edu for assistance updating the Outlook application on your computer.

Using the Outlook application on macOS

  1. Compose a new message from within the Outlook app.

  2. In the ribbon, click on Options, then the icon above “Encrypt”. If the icon is missing, see the bottom of this section for help.

  3. Once encryption is enabled for this message, you’ll see a notification appear above the body of your message indicating that encryption is turned on.

Using the Outlook.com website

  1. Compose a new message from within the Outlook app.

  2. Click on the ellipsis (…) along the top bar of the composed message. Then click on Encrypt, then again on Encrypt.

3. When your message has been encrypted successfully this banner will appear at the top of the compose email pane.

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† Protected data is any data that contains Confidential information (“CI”), Personal data (“PD”), or High-risk confidential information (“HRI”) or Personally identifiable information (“PII”).

†† An external recipient is any recipient who does not have a seattleu.edu email address. Ex. @yahoo.com, @gmail.com, etc.