This article will walk you through the process of sending an encrypted email. The easiest way to do this is through outlook.office.com, which is recommended whether you're using Mac or Windows operating systems.
What is an encrypted email?
When you send an encrypted email through Microsoft the message encodes so that only the recipient(s) can read it. The message and attachments remain within Microsoft's ecosystem so the recipient must sign into that environment to read the message.
What if the recipient doesn't have a Microsoft account?
Microsoft will send the message to the recipient with a link to access the message. A second email will be sent with a temporary access code that will allow them to view the the message.
Sending an Encrypted Email
Go to outlook.office.com.
Click New mail.
Click the Options tab.
Click the padlock icon and you will see a dropdown with the option to Encrypt.
Once you encrypt, you will see a banner appear at the top of the email indicating the message is encrypted. From here you can type and send your email as you normally would.
Receiving an Encrypted Email
If the recipient has a Microsoft account:
When you send an encrypted email to another Microsoft account the recipient receives the email with a banner indicating it is encrypted. This is the only difference they'll notice between an encrypted vs non-encrypted email.
If the recipient doesn't have a Microsoft account:
They will receive an email alerting them about the protected message. Upon clicking Read the message, a second email from Microsoft will be sent containing a passcode to access the message.
