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Begin your day with emails neatly organized, replies crafted to match your tone and crisp notes from every meeting.
© Fyxer AI Limited. Company number 15189973. All rights reserved.
© Fyxer AI Limited. Company number 15189973. All rights reserved.
Email is one of the fastest ways to share information, but it is also one of the easiest ways for that information to be exposed. Whether you’re sending a contract, medical record, or confidential client file, encrypting your professional email keeps your message private and your recipient protected.
Outlook includes built-in encryption features that help you send secure messages directly from your inbox. In this guide, you’ll learn how to send an encrypted email in Outlook, including the desktop, web, and mobile versions. You’’ll also learn about encryption types, how recipients can read encrypted messages, and what to do if something goes wrong.
Email encryption scrambles your message into unreadable code while it travels from sender to recipient. Only the intended recipient has the key to unlock and read it. This protects sensitive data from hackers, phishing attempts, or accidental sharing.
According to Huntress, 1 in 3 data breaches involve “shadow data”, which is information created or stored without an organization’s knowledge, such as employees saving work emails to personal accounts or duplicating sensitive files. Because this data often goes untracked, IT teams cannot protect or recover it during a breach. Encrypting emails in Outlook helps reduce this hidden risk by keeping every message securely contained within your organization’s systems.
Not only that, but a Verizon report found that emails were compromised in 61% of data breaches in 2025. So encrypting your emails could be the additional security measure that keeps your business protected.
Microsoft Outlook supports two main encryption systems for security-conscious users:
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Both methods help protect privacy and meet compliance standards such as GDPR and HIPAA.
Related: How to recall an email in Outlook
If you use the Outlook desktop app, encrypting an email is quick once your Microsoft 365 account is active.
Ctrl + N.A note on compatibility: Encrypted messages work best when both sender and recipient use Outlook or Microsoft 365 accounts. If you send an encrypted email to a Gmail or Yahoo user, they will receive a secure link to view the message in a protected Microsoft portal.
If you prefer Outlook on the web or use Outlook.com, you can still send encrypted messages without installing any software.
Free Outlook.com users can encrypt messages, but advanced permissions such as Do Not Forward are exclusive to Microsoft 365 subscribers.
Recipients using Gmail or other mail providers will receive a link to the Microsoft 365 Message Encryption portal, where they can verify their identity through a one-time passcode before viewing your message securely.
This method makes it easy to send a secure email in Outlook from any browser.
Outlook’s mobile app supports encryption for Microsoft 365 accounts, making it simple to protect sensitive emails while working remotely.
Encryption in the Outlook mobile app is only available for Microsoft 365 and Exchange accounts. If you use IMAP, POP, or a free Outlook.com account, the encryption option will not appear.
Attachments follow the same rules as the message: when forwarding is disabled, recipients cannot share or download them. Before you hit send, check for the small padlock icon at the top of your message to confirm encryption is active.
Outlook offers three main ways to protect your messages, depending on how tightly you want to control access.
Encrypt-Only protects your email so only the intended recipient can open it. They can still forward or copy the message, but the encryption remains in place. It’s a good option for sharing sensitive information with trusted contacts.
Do Not Forward adds another layer of security. It encrypts your email and blocks forwarding, copying, and printing entirely. This option is best for internal communication or confidential documents that should stay private.
S/MIME encryption goes a step further by using digital certificates on both the sender’s and recipient’s devices to verify identity and encrypt the message. It’s most often used by organizations that need to meet compliance or regulatory standards.
More on Outlook: How to block an email in Outlook
When you receive an encrypted email, Outlook automatically recognizes and decrypts it if your account supports encryption.
For Outlook desktop or Outlook.com users:
For Gmail, Yahoo, or other email users:
Sometimes Outlook encryption runs into small glitches, especially if you are switching between accounts or browsers. Most issues are quick to fix once you know where to look. Try these steps:
When your inbox contains confidential conversations, data security matters as much as productivity. Fyxer is built with the same level of protection used by global enterprises, giving teams a secure way to automate email without ever compromising privacy.
Fyxer never uses your data to train third-party AI models such as OpenAI. Everything that happens in your inbox stays within your control. Drafts are created, not sent, and meeting insights are captured only when participants give consent.
Our security framework is designed for organizations that expect enterprise-grade protection.
Fyxer keeps sensitive data encrypted, monitored, and compliant across every workflow, from inbox organization to meeting summaries. This ensures that your private information always stays private.
Yes. You can use S/MIME encryption, which requires both you and your recipient to have installed digital certificates. However, Microsoft 365 Message Encryption (OME) features such as “Encrypt-Only” and “Do Not Forward” are exclusive to Microsoft 365 accounts.
You can confirm your message was encrypted before or after sending it.
If the lock does not appear, your account may not include encryption permissions. Contact your IT administrator or confirm that you are using a Microsoft 365 plan that supports OME.
Yes. They receive a secure link to Microsoft’s encrypted message portal. After verifying their identity through a one-time passcode or Microsoft login, they can read your message securely in a web browser.
Yes, but only for Microsoft 365 and Exchange accounts. If you are using a free Outlook.com, Gmail, or IMAP account, the encryption option will not appear in your app.
Encrypt-Only protects message content during delivery but allows forwarding. Do Not Forward adds extra protection by blocking forwarding, copying, and printing.