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Carl Johnston
Senior Cabling Engineer
January 9, 2025
Did you know that most successful cyberattacks—about 91%—start with phishing emails?
These are fake messages that trick people into sharing private information or clicking harmful links. They’re a simple but dangerous way for hackers to steal data or cause financial harm.
That’s why keeping your email secure is so important. In this guide, we’ll show you how to password protect an email, encrypt your messages and attachments, and use tools like Gmail and Outlook to keep your information safe.
Yes, you can password-lock an email, and it’s an effective way to protect sensitive information from prying eyes.
By adding a password or using encryption, you ensure that only the intended recipient with the correct credentials can access the email and its attachments.
This added layer of security is vital for businesses managing client data, financial records, or confidential communications.
Failing to secure your emails can lead to severe consequences, especially for businesses. Here’s what can happen if you don’t know how to password protect an email.
Encryption is a method of securing emails by converting them into unreadable formats unless decrypted by an authorised recipient. Below are two popular methods:
End-to-end encryption ensures that only the sender and recipient can read the email. This method encrypts both the email message and its attachments before sending, with decryption occurring only on the recipient’s device.
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This method of knowing how to password protect an email involves setting a password for the email or its attachments. The recipient must enter the password to open the email or access the files.
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Securing your emails doesn’t require advanced technical skills. Follow these steps to password-protect your emails on Gmail, Outlook, and other tools.
Gmail offers a built-in Confidential Mode that restricts access and allows you to set passwords for email messages.
Outlook offers robust tools for protecting emails through Microsoft 365 message encryption.
Choosing a secure email provider is essential for protecting sensitive information. Here are some of the best email providers in 2025.
Proton Mail is renowned for its end-to-end encryption and user-friendly interface. Based in Switzerland, it benefits from strict privacy laws. Users can send password-protected emails to recipients outside Proton Mail, ensuring sensitive data stays secure.
Tutanota provides automatic encryption for emails and attachments. It offers both personal and business solutions, with a focus on simplicity and security.
Zoho Mail is a popular choice for businesses that want to understand how to password protect an email. Its integration with Zoho’s ecosystem makes it an excellent option for team collaboration.
Hushmail combines email security with ease of use, making it ideal for healthcare, legal, and business professionals. It supports industry-specific compliance like HIPAA.
Mailfence is a privacy-focused email provider offering OpenPGP encryption and password-protected messages. It also includes digital signing options for verification.
StartMail offers encrypted emails and supports disposable email addresses to protect user privacy further. It’s an excellent choice for those looking to avoid spam and phishing.
CounterMail provides advanced encryption features and secure servers in Sweden. It is tailored to users seeking maximum privacy and security.
Protecting your email starts with implementing strong practices that keep unauthorised users at bay. Here are some tips on how to do it.
The foundation of email security lies in having strong, unique passwords.
Passwords should combine uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters to resist brute-force attacks. Avoid using personal information like birthdays or names, as these are easy to guess when you password protect an email.
Experts recommend changing passwords every three to six months to further reduce the risk of compromise.
A password manager can help you generate and securely store complex passwords, eliminating the temptation to reuse the same one across multiple platforms.
Two-factor authentication adds an essential layer of security by requiring a second form of verification to access your email account.
Once enabled, even if someone steals your password, they won’t be able to log in without the additional authentication step, such as a code sent to your mobile device.
To activate 2FA in Gmail, go to your Google account settings, select “Security,” and follow the prompts to add your phone number or authentication app.
In Outlook, navigate to your Microsoft account, select “Security Info,” and configure 2FA using a phone or app like Microsoft Authenticator.
Aside from knowing how to password protect an email, encrypting emails ensures that only authorised recipients can access the content, protecting sensitive information from interception.
For Gmail users, the Confidential Mode feature is a quick way to set expiration dates and passwords for emails.
Outlook users can enable Microsoft 365 message encryption by selecting the “Encrypt” option in the toolbar before sending an email. Services like Proton Mail and Tutanota automatically encrypt emails end-to-end, offering additional security for sensitive data.
For businesses, integrating encryption tools into daily workflows is vital for compliance with regulations like GDPR or HIPAA.
Phishing emails are one of the most common ways hackers gain access to email accounts. These emails often mimic legitimate companies and ask for login credentials or personal information.
To spot phishing attempts, closely inspect the sender’s email address for inconsistencies, look for typos or poor grammar in the message, and avoid clicking on suspicious links.
If you’re unsure, directly contact the organisation through official channels to verify the email’s authenticity. Businesses should train employees regularly on identifying phishing scams to reduce the risk of successful attacks.
Outdated email clients and devices are vulnerable to cyberattacks. Security patches are released regularly by companies like Google and Microsoft to address new threats.
Ensure that you update your Gmail app, Outlook client, or any other email software as soon as updates are available. Most systems allow automatic updates, which provide seamless protection without manual intervention.
In addition to updating software, maintain antivirus programs on all devices used for accessing email. These programs can detect and block malware that might target your account.
Ensuring the security of your email communication is no small task, especially when juggling encryption, password management, and phishing prevention. That's why Clarity IT is here for your business.
Our team specialises in designing and implementing tailored IT solutions to secure your email systems and protect your business’s sensitive information.
Password protects your email and your business by reaching out to Clarity IT today. Secure communication starts with the right partner—let us be yours!
Email encryption is the process of converting email content, including messages and attachments, into unreadable formats to protect sensitive information from unauthorised access.
Encryption ensures that only authorised recipients can decrypt and read the message. Using email encryption helps protect sensitive data, prevent breaches, and enhance email security.
To send password-protected emails in Gmail, you can use Confidential Mode to set an expiration date, which requires a passcode. In Outlook, you can use Microsoft 365 message encryption to send a password-protected email.
Both methods help protect sensitive information and add an additional layer of security to your email messages and attachments.
To encrypt email attachments in Gmail, enable Confidential Mode before sending.
For Outlook users, Microsoft 365 message encryption allows you to protect email attachments by selecting the "Encrypt" option while composing your email in Outlook.
These methods ensure that the email attachments are secured and can only be accessed by authorised recipients.
Microsoft 365 message encryption is a feature that allows users to send encrypted emails to protect the contents and attachments of outgoing messages. It works by encrypting email messages, ensuring that only recipients with authorised access can view the email.
The encryption feature is available in Outlook.com and Microsoft 365 accounts, providing seamless integration with Microsoft Office tools.
Yes, Proton Mail is a secure email provider that offers end-to-end encryption. This means your email messages and attachments are encrypted before they leave your device and decrypted only on the recipient’s device.
Proton Mail ensures that emails in Proton Mail accounts are highly secure and ideal for protecting sensitive information.
If encryption is unavailable, you can protect your email attachments by using password-protected files. For example, you can save documents as password-protected PDFs or compress them into ZIP files with password protection.
Once protected, send the password to the recipient securely, ensuring only they can open the email attachments.
If you receive an email telling you it’s encrypted, follow the instructions provided in the email.
Typically, you will need to enter a previously agreed-upon password or log into a specific portal, such as the Microsoft 365 message encryption portal, to view the encrypted email and download attachments securely. Ensure your email application supports encrypted emails for seamless access.
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