by Isabella Torres · Last updated: 2026-09-26

How to Send an Encrypted Email in Outlook and Gmail

To send an encrypted email in Outlook, open the Options tab and choose Encrypt (available on Microsoft 365 plans that include Microsoft Purview Message Encryption). In Gmail, messages are already encrypted in transit when the other provider supports it; for more control, turn on confidential mode and require an SMS passcode, or use S/MIME on eligible Google Workspace plans. If you only need to protect a file, password protect the attachment and send the password separately. For sensitive documents going to many people at once, send each person a secure link that opens only with their own access code.

Below you will find the exact steps for each app, how to password protect an email, what the recipient actually sees, and the limits that matter before you rely on any of them.

New here? Start with our primer on Email Marketing Fundamentals for the fundamentals, then come back to this guide.

Sending sensitive documents? Mailsoftly gives each recipient a personal secure link with their own access code, not a risky attachment. Create a free account, no credit card, and ask us to switch secure documents on for it.
Send documents securely →

What Does Email Encryption Actually Cover?

Email has no single universal encryption or password feature. When people ask how to send a secure, encrypted or password protected email, they usually mean one of three different things. Match your goal to the right row before you pick a method, because the wrong tool leaves a gap you will not notice until it matters.

Pick the row that matches your situation, then use the steps below. The first two rows cover a single message. The third row is where most teams get stuck, and it is the one manual tools cannot handle at scale.

Need to protect files for a whole list, not just one message? Mailsoftly sends a secure link per person, free to start.Send documents securely →

How Do You Send an Encrypted Email in Outlook?

Open a new message, go to the Options tab, and choose Encrypt. Outlook’s built-in option is part of Microsoft Purview Message Encryption, which is included in several Microsoft 365 business plans. If you do not see the option, your plan or your administrator does not have it turned on.

1. Create a new email in Outlook.
2. Open the Options tab (in the new Outlook and Outlook on the web, look for Encrypt in the toolbar or under the message options).
3. Choose Encrypt. Depending on your setup you will see choices such as Encrypt only, which lets the recipient read and download attachments, or Do Not Forward, which also blocks forwarding, printing and copying.
4. Write the message, add attachments and send.

Limits: the protection depends on your Microsoft 365 plan, the passcode for outside recipients arrives by email (so it protects against interception more than against a compromised inbox), and there is no way to set your own password for the message.

How Do You Send an Encrypted or Password Protected Email in Gmail?

Turn on confidential mode and require an SMS passcode. Gmail already encrypts messages in transit (TLS) whenever the receiving provider supports it, and it shows a warning icon when it cannot. That protects the message on its way, not once it sits in the recipient’s inbox. For a passcode on the message itself, follow these steps.

1. Click Compose.
2. At the bottom of the window, click the lock and clock icon (Toggle confidential mode).
3. Set an expiration date.
4. Under Require passcode, choose SMS passcode and enter the recipient’s mobile number when asked.
5. Save and send.

Limits: confidential mode stops forwarding, copying, printing and downloading, but Google itself notes that it does not prevent screenshots or photos, and it is not end-to-end encryption. Attachments cannot be downloaded in confidential mode, which makes it a poor fit for documents the recipient needs to keep. Your Workspace administrator can also disable it.

What Are the Other Ways to Encrypt or Protect an Email?

Beyond the built-in options, three approaches cover most needs. The right one depends on whether the recipient must keep the file and whether they have an account with you.

• S/MIME certificates. Both Outlook and Gmail (on eligible Google Workspace plans) support S/MIME, which encrypts messages end to end between people who have exchanged certificates. Strong, but impractical with people outside your organization.
• Password protected attachments. Put a password on the PDF or ZIP, attach it to a normal email, and send the password separately. This works with every email provider on both ends. See our step by step guide on how to send a password protected PDF by email.
• Client portals. Some industries require documents to be downloaded from a portal after login. Secure, but every recipient needs an account.

Why Should You Never Send the Password in the Same Email?

Because it undoes the protection entirely. It sounds obvious, yet it is the single most common way security gets broken. If the email says “the password is your postal code” or includes the passcode itself, anyone who reads that email, including an unintended recipient or anyone who gets into the mailbox, has everything they need.

Send the password by a second road: a text message, a phone call, or a separate message sent later. Keeping the key and the lock on different channels is what makes any of these methods worth using.

How Do You Send Encrypted Documents to Many People at Once?

Use a secure link with a per-recipient access code, not manual encryption. Outlook encryption and Gmail confidential mode are built for one message at a time. They fall short when you need to send 200 personalized documents, each meant for one person only.

You cannot mail merge an encrypted Outlook message with a different attachment per person, and confidential mode caps you at Gmail’s sending limits and one manual passcode flow per message. When every recipient needs their own file and their own code, a secure link is the right tool.

How Does Mailsoftly Send Protected Documents to a Whole List?

Mailsoftly sends each recipient a personal secure link instead of an attachment. Nothing sensitive sits in the inbox, and the document opens only after the person confirms what you chose: a unique access code Mailsoftly generates for them, a detail you already have on file such as a date of birth or postal code (up to two details), or both.

• One template, one PDF per person. A saved template becomes a personalized PDF for every recipient at send time, with their details filled in by merge fields.
• A code for every recipient. Access codes are generated per person (format XXXX-XXXX). Send them in a separate email using the access code tag, or pass them on by phone or letter. Mailsoftly leaves the code out of the email that carries the link on purpose.
• Locked downloads. Tick Also lock the downloaded file with this code, and the PDF the person saves stays password protected with AES-256 encryption, using the access code as the password.
• Expiry and lockout. Links expire after the number of days you set (1 to 90, 30 by default) and lock after too many wrong answers.
• Tracking. See who opened, who got locked out and who downloaded, then turn off or resend any link with a fresh code.

Secure documents are switched on per account by our team; ask us and we will turn them on for yours. The guides on how to send documents by secure link and how to protect documents with an access code show every screen.

Outlook vs Gmail vs Secure Links: Which Should You Use?

For a single confidential message, Outlook Encrypt or Gmail confidential mode is enough. For files each recipient must keep, or for sending to a list, a secure link wins on every row that involves scale, downloads, or tracking.

For the broader picture on this topic, see our complete Email Marketing Fundamentals guide, which covers strategy, fundamentals, and advanced playbooks.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I send an encrypted email in Outlook?

Open the Options tab in a new message and choose Encrypt, if your Microsoft 365 plan includes Microsoft Purview Message Encryption. You cannot set your own password on an Outlook message; outside recipients verify themselves with a sign in or a one-time passcode.

How do I send a password protected email in Gmail?

Turn on confidential mode, choose SMS passcode under Require passcode, and send. The recipient must enter the code sent to their phone before the message opens.

Are Gmail and Outlook emails encrypted by default?

Both encrypt messages in transit when the other side supports it, which protects them on the way. Neither encrypts a normal message end to end, so anyone with access to the recipient’s mailbox can read it. Use Outlook Encrypt, S/MIME or a secure document link for sensitive content.

Is Gmail confidential mode secure?

It adds useful controls such as expiry and SMS passcodes, but it is not end-to-end encryption and does not stop screenshots. For regulated or highly personal documents, use encryption or a secure document link.

Can I password protect just the attachment?

Yes. Lock the PDF with a password in Acrobat, Word or Mac Preview, attach it to a normal email, and send the password by text message or phone.

How do I send confidential documents to a large list?

Use secure links rather than attachments. Mailsoftly builds a personalized PDF for each recipient, protects it with that person’s own access code, and tracks every open.

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Isabella Torres

Growth Marketing Specialist at Mailsoftly

Isabella is a Growth Marketing Specialist at Mailsoftly with expertise in list building, subscriber retention, and subject line optimization. She writes actionable guides for marketers who want measurable results from email.