Send & open confidential emails - Computer (2024)

You can send messages and attachments with Gmail's confidential mode to help protect sensitive information from unauthorized access. You can use confidential mode to set an expiration date for messages or revoke access at any time. Recipients of the confidential message will have options to forward, copy, print, and download disabled.

Important: Although confidential mode helps prevent the recipients from accidentally sharing your email, it doesn't prevent recipients from taking screenshots or photos of your messages or attachments. Recipients who have malicious programs on their computer may still be able to copy or download your messages or attachments.

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Learn how confidential emails work

Send messages & attachments confidentially

  1. On your computer, go toGmail.
  2. Click Compose.
  3. In the bottom right of the window, click Toggle confidential mode Send & open confidential emails - Computer (2).
    • If you've already turned on confidential mode, go to the bottom of the email, then click Edit.
  4. Set an expiration date and passcode. These settings impact both the message text and any attachments.
    • If you choose "No SMS passcode,"recipients using the Gmail app will be able to open it directly. Recipients who don't use Gmailwill get emailed a passcode.
    • If you choose "SMS passcode," recipients will get a passcode by text message.Make sure you enter the recipient's phone number, not your own.
  5. Click Save.

Remove access early

You can stop your recipient from opening the email before the expiration date.

  1. On your computer, open Gmail.
  2. On the left, click Sent.
  3. Open the confidential email.
  4. Click Remove access.

Open an email sent with confidential mode

If the sender used confidential mode to send the email:

  • You can open the message and attachments until the expiration date or until the sender removes access.
  • Options to copy, paste, download, print, and forward the message text and attachments will be disabled.
  • You might need to enter a passcode to open the email.

I'm using a Gmail account

  1. Open the email.
  2. If the sender does not require an SMS passcode:
    • If you use the latest Gmail apps (web or mobile), you will directly find the email when you open it.
    • If you use another email client, open the email, click on the link View the email and sign in with your Google credentials to open the message.
  3. If the sender requires an SMS passcode:
    1. Select Send passcode.
    2. Check your text message for the passcode.
    3. Enter the passcode, then select Submit.

I'm using another email account

  1. Open the email.
  2. Select View the email..
    • A new page will open.
  3. Select Send passcode.
  4. Check your text messages or email for the passcode.
  5. Enter the passcode, then select Submit.

I'm getting an error

Email has expired

The sender might've deleted the email or removed your access before the expiration date. Contact the sender to give you more time or to resend the email.

The provided number is for an unsupported country

You can only add SMS passcodes for phone numbers from these regions:

  • North America
  • South America
  • Europe
  • Australia
  • Asia: India, Korea, and Japan

Switch accounts

Make sure you're signed into the correct Google Account that's associated with the recipient email. Then, try to open the email again.

Related resources

Send & open confidential emails - Computer (2024)

FAQs

How do you respond to a confidential email? ›

Send messages & attachments confidentially

On your computer, go to Gmail. Click Compose. In the bottom right of the window, click Toggle confidential mode . If you've already turned on confidential mode, go to the bottom of the email, then click Edit.

What is the best way to send confidential documents via email? ›

5 Ways to Email Documents Safely
  1. Use an Encrypted Email Service.
  2. Encrypt Your Email.
  3. Encrypt Email Attachments.
  4. Password Protect the File.
  5. Use an Online Fax Service.

How to send email in confidential mode? ›

Send confidential emails on a computer
  1. On your computer, go to Gmail.
  2. Click Compose.
  3. In the bottom right of the window, click Turn on confidential mode . Tip: If you've already turned on confidential mode for an email, go to the bottom of the email, then click Edit.
  4. Set an expiration date and passcode. ...
  5. Click Save.

Which of the following is the safest way to send a confidential email? ›

Encrypt email messages. Send encrypted email attachments. Password-protect email attachments. Skip emails and use a client portal.

How should confidential emails be handled answer choices? ›

What is the best way to handle confidential or proprietary information in emails?
  • Use encryption.
  • Mark as confidential.
  • Limit recipients.
  • Delete or archive.
  • Follow policies and guidelines.
  • Here's what else to consider.
Nov 17, 2023

How to respond when someone asks about confidential information? ›

The best way to handle confidential information is with all the clarity you can bring to the conversation. Be upfront about what you can and cannot talk about. Reaffirm your commitment to the other person or people who asked you about it and look for ways to support them or help them with what they need.

How should you send confidential information electronically? ›

Warn the recipient that the email contains confidential information so that they only open the document in a secure environment - you can do this by putting the word "CONFIDENTIAL" either in the email header or the attachment's file name.

How do you address a confidential email? ›

This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the individual named. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system.

Should you send confidential information via email? ›

The truth is that email is not a secure channel for sending information. Therefore, you should never send sensitive data or information in an email, whether written in the body or as an attachment. “Email by default is not and was never intended to be a secure mechanism for sending sensitive data,” says Dr.

How do I send a confidential email to multiple recipients? ›

To hide the email addresses from recipients:
  1. Enter addresses into 'Bcc'. ...
  2. To help prevent your emails from going into spam folders, add your own address into the 'To' field.
  3. Note the number of contacts before sending an email. ...
  4. Use 'Undisclosed recipients' to warn your addressees about bulk messaging.

How to do confidential email in Outlook? ›

From your draft email message, click File > Properties. Under Settings, in the Sensitivity list, select Normal, Personal, Private, or Confidential. The default value is Normal. Select Close.

What does a Gmail confidential email look like? ›

Gmail removes the message body and any attachments from the recipient copy of a confidential mode message. Gmail replaces message content and attachments with a link to the content. In Gmail, the linked content appears to be part of the message. Third-party email clients display a link in place of the message content.

What is the most secure way to send confidential documents? ›

1 – Use End-to-end encryption(E2EE) to Send Documents Securely. E2EE a method of secure communication that hinders third parties from accessing data being sent from one device to another. Encryption provides a higher level of security compared to password protection.

Which email is least likely to be hacked? ›

7 Most Secure Email Providers
  1. Proton Mail. Price: free with up to 1 GB of mail storage or $12.99 a month for Proton Unlimited. ...
  2. Neo. Price: starts at $2.49 per mailbox per month with 10 GB of storage. ...
  3. Hushmail. ...
  4. Tuta (formerly Tutanota) ...
  5. StartMail. ...
  6. Mailfence. ...
  7. Zoho Mail.

In what format should confidential emails be sent? ›

Information can be sent as a password-protected file and attached to a standard email instead of in an encrypted email. Passwords may be placed on the most widely used file formats, including PDFs and Microsoft Office documents. Ensure you reveal your password over a secure communication platform.

How do I acknowledge a confidential email? ›

It's polite and professional to acknowledge receipt of documents, particularly if they're sensitive or from outside your organization. Hi (Recipient's name), Thank you for sending me the (insert details) documents. I can confirm that I received them on (insert date).

How to respond to a secure email? ›

You will be able to reply or forward securely to the intended recipients.
  1. Click Reply or Reply-All, or Forward at the top of the message. All recipients are already entered in the To: field for a reply or reply-all operation.
  2. Add any email addresses in the To, Cc or Bcc fields (click Show Bcc). ...
  3. Type your message.

What to do if you receive a confidential email? ›

In this case, you should let the sender know that you have received an email by mistake and inform the person responsible for data privacy or information security in your organization.

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