How do I Send a Secure Email in Outlook?
KnowBe4, Sunday, March 15th, 2026
Sending an unsecured email can be likened to writing sensitive information on a sticky note and leaving it on someone else's desk: anybody can intercept and share that information. Fortunately, there are ways to ensure your emails are safe from the prying eyes of hackers through encryption, meaning your message - no matter how sensitive - is seen only by the intended recipient.
An encrypted message is changed from plain text into ciphertext, which is unreadable and remains that way until it reaches its destination. That means that even the most determined hacker won't be able to gather sensitive information from the email. Once it arrives with the intended person(s), the encryption is removed, provided their identity has been confirmed.