Proton Mail encrypts all emails sent between Proton accounts with end-to-end encryption (E2EE) and all emails that arrive from an external email service with zero-access encryption by default.
If you’ve added a custom domain (e.g. @examplecompany.com) to your Proton Mail account, you may want to route certain domain emails to another mail server for specific purposes, such as compliance or CRM integration. To do this, you may have set a different mail server as your primary MX record. This worked in the past, but will no longer work after a security update that will go into effect on August 15, 2023.
Going forward, Proton Mail will always deliver emails from other Proton Mail users directly to your Proton-hosted addresses, regardless of your domain’s MX records. This ensures that the emails between Proton Mail users remain secure with E2EE.
However, if you still want to route emails according to your domain’s MX records for certain addresses, you’ll need to disable E2EE for those addresses in Proton Mail. This will create an exception and allow email from Proton Mail accounts to be routed to the external mail server specified in your primary MX record.
Proton requires you to manually create this exception to ensure that all internal traffic is end-to-end encrypted unless explicitly specified by the address owner.
Note that even if you disable E2EE for a given address, all messages delivered to it will still be protected by Proton Mail’s zero-access encryption.
Unless you have a specific reason to do so, we do not recommend turning off Proton Mail’s end-to-end encryption.
How to adjust your encryption settings
This option will only be visible if your domain’s MX records do not point to Proton Mail.
- Go to mail.proton.me and log in using your Proton Account username and password.
- Click Settings → All settings → Identity and addresses.
- Scroll down until you see the My addresses section.
- Find the email address(es) for which you want to turn off end-to-end encryption and click the dropdown menu under the Actions column. Select Disable E2EE mail. If this email address is your designated catch-all address, all emails routed to the catch-all will be affected.
- You can also turn E2EE back on any time by going to the same drop menu and selecting Enable E2EE mail.
FAQs
Set up a custom email domain in Proton Mail
Go to https://account.proton.me/mail/domain-names and click Add domain. Then add your Proton Mail DNS records to your DNS console in your domain dashboard. For detailed instructions, visit our Support article on custom domains.
Does Proton Mail allow custom domains? ›
Set up a custom email domain in Proton Mail
Go to https://account.proton.me/mail/domain-names and click Add domain. Then add your Proton Mail DNS records to your DNS console in your domain dashboard. For detailed instructions, visit our Support article on custom domains.
How do I encrypt my Proton Mail email? ›
How to send Password-protected Emails
- Compose your email as usual. ...
- Enter a message password and an optional password hint. ...
- You'll see the lock icon next to the recipient's email address has turned blue to indicate the email is now end-to-end encrypted. ...
- When you're ready, click Send.
Proton Mail protects the contents of all your messages with zero-access encryption, meaning no one can read them except you and your recipients. Messages you send to other Proton Mail accounts are always end-to-end encrypted, as are emails sent to non-Proton Mail accounts when you use Password-protected Emails.
Does Proton Mail encrypt contacts? ›
Proton Contacts encrypts different contact fields in different ways. We explain what is encrypted and how to use encrypted contacts.
What are the domain options for Proton Mail? ›
Additional addresses
If you have a paid plan, you can create additional email addresses, also known as aliases, to send and receive mail in your Proton Mail mailbox. These email addresses can use any of our domains (@proton.me, @protonmail.com, @pm.me, or @protonmail.ch).
Is Proton Mail more secure than Gmail? ›
Still deciding between Proton Mail vs. Gmail? While Gmail scans your emails and lets third parties into your inbox, Proton Mail blocks all trackers and encrypts your messages so only you can read them. We believe you should be the one who chooses what happens to your data.
Is Proton Mail PGP encrypted? ›
Proton Mail uses PGP for end-to-end encryption. All users have two encryption keys, one public and one private. The public key can be shared with anyone and is used by your contacts to encrypt their messages to you.
Can you send unencrypted email with Proton Mail? ›
With either a free or a paid account, any emails sent to others that are using ProtonMail will be encrypted end-to-end. But if you have a paid account and is emailing an external recipient, you will have a little lock icon when you compose an email.
Does Proton Mail encrypt subject lines? ›
All Proton Mail data at rest and in transit is encrypted. However, subject lines in Proton Mail are not end-to-end encrypted, which means if served with a valid Swiss court order, we do have the ability to turn over the subjects of your messages.
One slight downside is that it requires you to provide an email upon sign-up. You'll have to enter either a current email address or a phone number. I never had to submit any of these when I signed up for other secure mail services like Hushmail or Tutanota. TRY UP TO 38% OFF PROTONMAIL HERE!
What is the Proton Mail controversy? ›
Proton AG — the Swiss company behind Proton Mail, the popular encrypted email service — came under fire in April for complying with a request from Spanish police for information about one of its users — a Catalan pro-independence activist. It's obvious why that was a controversial move.
Is Proton Mail safe anymore? ›
Proton Mail's zero-access architecture means we can never access your emails. Emails from other service providers are instantly encrypted on our servers using your public key, meaning we do not have the technical ability to decrypt your messages. As a result, we cannot hand your emails over to anyone.
Can I be traced using Proton Mail? ›
Locate IP address through Proton Mail Email
ProtonMail is an encrypted email provider which offers anonymity to its users. If you are harassed through an anonymous ProtonMail email, the email sender is very careful to hide his or her identity. You won't be able to track the IP address through the email itself.
Does Proton Mail use SSL? ›
Proton Mail uses SSL/HTTPS to secure your data, but some emails can load images using plain HTTP.
Does Proton Mail leak data? ›
No user data is ever shared with third parties, but we do analyze reports from third parties any time they find leaked information or data stolen in a hack from a third-party online service that's tied to a Proton Mail email address or a Proton Pass alias.
What are the additional domains for Proton Mail? ›
How to create an additional address
- Log in to your account (account.proton.me) and go to Settings → All settings → Identity and addresses → My addresses → Add address.
- Add a new username and choose a Proton Mail or custom domain ending from the dropdown menu.
- Add a display name.
Instead of using the email provider's generic name (like “[email protected]”), you can create a professional email with a custom domain (like “[email protected]“) that conveys much more credibility and authority.
How do I link my Godaddy domain to Proton Mail? ›
In your browser, log in to your Proton Mail account and select Settings → All settings → Proton Mail → Domain names → Add domain.
- Enter your domain name and click Next. ...
- Verify your domain. ...
- In the Verify tab, your Host Name (@) and TXT verification record are shown to the right of your newly added domain.
Proton Mail Server Settings: IMAP for Incoming Emails
| IMAP Server | 127.0.0.1 |
|---|
| IMAP Port | 1143 |
| IMAP Security | TLS |
| Username | Your email address ([email protected]) |
| Password | Leave empty – gets generated by the Proton Mail Bridge |
