Overview
To encrypt an email, you should use either Outlook desktop or Web client.
Encrypt-Only is recommended. Microsoft’s definition of each option are provided at the bottom of this document.
Instructions
From the desktop client.
1. Open a new email.
2. From the “Options” menu, choose “Encrypt”, and then select “Encrypt-Only”.
From the web client.
- Open a new email.
- From the “Options” menu, choose Encrypt Padlock icon, and then select “Encrypt”.
Important information about encryption
-
Do Not Forward: Your message stays encrypted within Microsoft 365 and can't be copied or forwarded. Microsoft Office attachments such as Word, Excel or PowerPoint files remain encrypted even after they're downloaded. Other attachments, such as PDF files or image files can be downloaded without encryption.
- Encrypt: Your message stays encrypted and doesn't leave Microsoft 365. Recipients with Outlook.com and Microsoft 365 accounts can download attachments without encryption from Outlook.com or the Outlook mobile app. If you're using a different email client or other email accounts, you can use a temporary passcode to download the attachments from the Microsoft 365 Message Encryption portal.
- No permission set: Default setting. Uses Outlook's opportunistic Transport Layer Security (TLS) to encrypt the connection with a recipient's email provider.
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