How to Send a Confidential Email on Gmail

Gmail, as we all know, is a free email service provided by Google. It is also one of the most secure methods of sending and receiving data. One may access this mailing service via both web browsers and mobile apps. However, can we send a confidential email on Gmail to our colleagues or friends? Well, this is the topic that we are going to discuss in detail in this post. So, let’s explore can we keep our email correspondence private or not in Gmail.

What is Confidential Email on Gmail?

Gmail has a feature called “confidential mode” that allows you to keep your conversation private. For example, you want to send an email to a person, however, with a restriction to prevent recipients from downloading, copyrighting, or forwarding your message to other persons. Earlier, there were no such options readily available on this mailing client.

But now, everything is within your reach thanks to Gmail’s introduction of “confidential mode.” As a result, you may now send mails to even unknown persons without worrying about the data breaches. Before we get into how to send emails in confidential mode, let us first see the advantages or limitations of using this feature.

What are the advantages of using the confidential mode?

Confidential mode is available on all platforms, including Gmail in the browser, the Android app, and the iOS version. These are the reasons for which you may opt for sending confidential emails –

Passcode-protected email can be sent:

The sender can assign a passcode to the email that is sent. This passcode serves as a key to the password-protected email. The passcode must be sent to the recipient via text message. Only by entering the passcode will the recipient be able to open it. As a result, you won’t have to worry about accidentally sending a message to the wrong person. If you send it to the wrong person, they will be unable to open it.

An expiration date can be specified:

Confidential mode has an auto-destruct feature. This means that the sender can specify an expiration date for the email. This expiry date can be a weekday, month, three months, or five years. This feature works with all types of files, including doc files, video, audio, and image files.

Mobile numbers can be utilized to secure Email:

A mobile phone number can be used to protect information. Another great feature of Email Confidential mode is the ability to secure your data using a mobile number. Send the passcode to the recipient by selecting or entering the recipient’s mobile number as a passcode. In order to see the contents, the recipient must enter the same mobile number. It is impossible to view the content or unlock the data if you forget the phone number.

Avoid recipient from downloading or forwarding email:

After you send a confidential mail on Gmail, the recipient can’t forward it to third persons. To download the internal files that came along with the mail requires a passcode. So, this way you may restrict the access of your already sent private messages.

Contents of the mail can’t be copied:

It is not possible to copy the contents of an email. By default, the contents of emails sent in confidential mode cannot be copied. It does not, however, prevent you from taking screenshots or photos.

Private Email can be sent using a variety of email services:

For various email providers, one can send email in confidential mode. This means that even if your contacts use different email providers, you can still send emails in a secure manner.

How to Send a confidential Email on Gmail

Now that you know the advantages or limitations of using this feature on Gmail, see how to enable confidential email sending on Gmail –

Open Gmail in your web browser as usual, then click the compose button on the left top navigation.
Compose your mail, add the subject, add the recipient, and then click the confidential mode icon available at the bottom of the email composer window. This looks exactly like a padlock with a clock, see the snapshot below –

A pop-up will appear when the confidential mode icon is clicked, allowing the user to change certain settings.
The first option in the popup is to set the “Expiration date”, followed by adding a passcode if necessary.
Select “SMS passcode” if you want to add a passcode. Select “No SMS passcode” if you want to send without a passcode.

In the end, attach the correct mobile number of the recipients so that they receive the passcode on their phones.
Select Save and hit the Send button.

How do you undo an email message that you’ve already sent?

You might find yourself in a situation where you don’t want to send the email or where you accidentally sent it to the wrong person after sending confidential mail. In such cases, you can delete the message you sent, allowing the recipient to view his or her email messages. Your confidential email will be in both the sent and inbox folders. To undo email messages, select the confidential mail you want to delete, then select the message and then “Remove access“.

How to view Sent Private Email messages

Email messages sent in confidential mode can be viewed in the same way that regular email messages can be viewed. However, you must bear a few points in mind before viewing an already sent confidential email on Gmail. The points are as follows –

In confidential mode, you are unable to copy-paste the content, forward, or download the email because these functions are disabled by default.
Only if the recipient opens the email before the expiry date specified by the sender when sending confidential mail can the recipient view it.
After the confidential email was sent with a password, the recipient must enter the correct password in order to view the email messages.
If you are still unable to view the contents after considering the points above, the sender may have deleted the email messages. If you require that email urgently, you must contact the sender and request that it be resent.

Disadvantages of Sending emails in private mode

Aside from the benefits of Gmail’s confidential mode, there are a few things to keep in mind. They are as follows –

The first one of them is that Google has unavoidable access to all of your messages and passwords.
If you set a passcode for secure message transfer in confidential mode, you should be aware that you are allowing Google to know your recipient’s phone number.

Note: Despite the fact that there are numerous confidential email providers, Gmail is the only one that offers it for free.

I hope this article was helpful in giving you an understanding of how to use Gmail’s confidential mode. Continue to share this article with your friends if you had enjoyed it.