February 15, 2022 / Lily Collins

How to Send Secure Email Attachments In Gmail?

With more than a billion active users all over the world, Gmail is one of the most popular email service providers in the industry. With plenty of useful features and functionalities and compatibility with other email services, Gmail is a reliable email service to use for both your personal and professional requirements. While the majority of users trust the security of Gmail and use it to send and receive sensitive information, however, there are some users who look for alternative ways to protect their information from unauthorized access when sending a secure email attachment.

Well, if you are also looking to send your email attachment securely, you don’t have to look for the alternatives as Gmail has a feature to help you with that. To know how to send secure email attachments in Gmail, you will need to go through the information provided below.

Guide to Send Secure Email Attachments in Gmail

To send your important emails and attachments using your Gmail account, you can make use of the confidential mode. The confidential mode in Gmail helps you keep your important information safe from unauthorized access. The confidential mode can be used to configure expiration date for messages or withdraw access at any time. With confidential mode enabled for a sent message, the options to forward, copy, print, and download will be disabled for the recipient.

NOTE: Although with the confidential mode you prevent the recipient from sharing your email mistakenly, however, this feature cannot prevent him or anyone else from taking a photo or screenshots of your messages or attachments. Recipients having malicious programs on their system may be able to get a copy or download your message or attachment.

Now, to know how to send messages & attachments confidentially using Gmail, follow the steps provided below.

For Computer

1. Open a web browser on your computer and sign in to your Gmail account.
2. Once you are logged into your Gmail account, you will need to click on the Compose button.
3. In the Compose window, you will need to click on the Turn on confidential mode option (a lock and clock icon located near the lower-right corner of the window).
4. As you will click on the Confidential mode option, a small box will appear on your screen. In the box, you will find the option to set an expiration date and passcode. As these settings will impact the message text and also the attachments, you will need to configure them accordingly.

• If you select the “No SMS passcode” option: Recipients using the Gmail application can open the email right away. The recipients who do not use Gmail will receive a passcode through email.
• If you select “SMS passcode” option: Recipients will receive a passcode through text message. So, you will need to ensure that you enter the correct phone number of the recipient and not yours.

1. After that, simply click on the Save option and send the email once you are done composing the email.

For Android

1. Open the Gmail app on your Android device.
2. Next, tap on the Compose option and then on the More option (three vertical dots) located on the top-right corner of the screen.
3. From the drop-down menu, you will need to select the Confidential Mode option.
4. Next, turn on the Confidential Mode by tapping on the slider icon next to the Confidential Mode option.
5. Then, you will need to set an expiration date, passcode, and other settings. As these settings affect both the message text and attachments (if any), you will need to configure them accordingly.

• If you select the “No SMS passcode” option: Recipients using the Gmail application can open the email right away. The recipients who do not use Gmail will receive a passcode through email.
• If you select “SMS passcode” option: Recipients will receive a passcode through text message. So, you will need to ensure that you enter the correct phone number of the recipient and not yours.

1. Once you are done setting up the Confidential Mode, tap on the Save option. Then, compose your message and tap on the Send button to send the message.

For iPhone & iPad

1. Open the Gmail app on your iPhone or iPad and tap on the Compose option.
2. Next, you will need to tap on the More option (three vertical dots) located on the top-right corner of the screen.
3. From the drop-down menu that appears on your screen, you will need to select the Confidential Mode option.
4. In the Confidential Mode window, you will need to tap on the slider icon next to the Confidential Mode option to turn it on.
5. Then, you can configure the expiration date, passcode, and other settings according to your preference. As these settings affect both the message text and attachments (if any), make sure to configure them accordingly.

• If you select the “No SMS passcode” option: Recipients using the Gmail application can open the email right away. The recipients who do not use Gmail will receive a passcode through email.
• If you select “SMS passcode” option: Recipients will receive a passcode through text message. So, you will need to ensure that you enter the correct phone number of the recipient and not yours.

1. Once you are done setting up the Confidential Mode, tap on the Save option. Then, compose your message and tap on the Send button to send the message.

So, these are the steps that you will need to follow to send email attachments securely using your Gmail account.