How to Password Protect an Attachment in Gmail App Authority

email is usually very secure, but that doesn’t exactly mean it’s risk-free, especially when you send sensitive information in attachments.

The risk of someone hacking an email account or snooping on an open office computer is sometimes too high, creating the need for password-protected emails and attachments.

Sending documents securely through gmail is an important part of keeping your account, your workplace, and your entire life secure. After all, email plays a central role in every part of our lives, even if we don’t think about it properly.

You have two options to password protect attachments in gmail messages:

1. Add an encrypted password to the file on your computer before attaching to email.
2. Use confidential mode to block all email.

Below, we break down both methods for protecting gmail attachments.

how do you password protect files for use as email attachments?

if you only want to protect the attachment in your emails and not the email message, you will have to leave gmail behind for a second and encrypt your files.

Below, we break down the process for password protecting documents on mac os and windows 10.

password protect documents on mac

encrypting files on mac computers is quite simple, especially if they are pdf files. follow these steps to password protect a pdf on an apple computer:

1. open the browser, then open the pdf in the preview.
2. click “file”, then “export”.
3. in the window of export, be sure to check the box for “encrypt”.
4. set a password for your encrypted file, then click “save”.

If you want to encrypt a file that isn’t a PDF, follow these steps:

1. open browser.
2. open the file you want to encrypt on the pages.
3. in the top left corner of your screen, click “file”.
4. scroll down and click “set password”.
5. choose a password for your file and click “set password” again.

protect documents with password on windows pc in microsoft word

If you’re using a windows computer, follow these steps to encrypt documents and protect them with a password:

1. open the file you want to protect in microsoft word (or excel for spreadsheets)
2. click “file”
3. click “info”, then under “protect document”
4. click “encrypt with password”
5. enter a password, then click “ok”.

Now, your document is locked with a password. when someone wants to access it, they must open it with the same program (microsoft word or excel) and enter the password.

This means it can be a headache to use this method to send protected documents to people who don’t use Microsoft Office. but, if you and the recipient use office, it’s the best way to go.

how to password protect an entire email in gmail

This might be the easiest way to make sure your email attachments are never accessed or retrieved by the wrong people, and the most secure way.

The only drawback is that attachments in emails sent this way cannot be downloaded. therefore, if you need to send a sensitive document for the recipient to download and use rather than simply view, you must encrypt the document, not the email.

You can use confidential mode in gmail to make sure that no one but the person you’re sending the email to can see or download the information in it.

1. Click “Compose” to start a new email.
2. In the bottom of the window, click the “Confidential” icon to turn on Confidential Mode.
3. Choose an expiration date and for your confidential email.
4. Click “Save”.
5. Compose, add attachments, and send your email.
6. Before the email is sent, you will have to enter the recipient’s phone number so that they can receive a One-Time-Passcode to access the email.

This method doesn’t technically lock down the attachments, but it does prevent anyone who doesn’t have the password from being able to view or download the attachments.

so, while the attachment itself is not locked with a password, it is essentially inside a “box” that is locked: the email.

after the expiration date, the email and its content, including attachments, will be inaccessible, permanently protecting any confidential information.

how to open a confidential email in gmail

If you are the recipient of a confidential email in gmail, you must have your cell phone handy if you want to open it.

When you try to open the email, you will see a message like this appear:

Once you click to verify, you’ll get a text message with a One-Time-Passcode. Enter that passcode to view the email.

related: how to send an email as an attachment in gmail

faq: password protected attachments in gmail