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How to send an encrypted email to any address
How password-protected emails work at Proton Mail, Tuta, Posteo, and Hushmail, what your recipient sees, how long the message stays available, and how to share the password safely.
Key points
- Your recipient does not need the same provider. With a password-protected email, they get a link and read the message on the provider’s website.
- Never send the password in the same email. Say it on the phone, send it in a text message, or give it in person.
- At Proton Mail, such a message expires after 28 days at most, and the recipient can reply securely up to five times.
How it works
- You write the email and set a password for it.
- Your recipient gets a notice with a link.
- They open the link, enter the password, and read the message in the browser.
- They can reply from there, encrypted.
The four providers compared
| How your recipient opens it | Reply | Good to know | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hushmail | a link; then they sign in with a Google, Microsoft, or Apple account, or create a password | yes, encrypted | with the first message, you can add a security question |
| Posteo | a password-encrypted email; works with any provider, Posteo states | not stated | – |
| Proton Mail | a link to unlock the message, then the password | yes, up to five times | expires after 28 days at most; on every plan, including Proton Free |
| Tuta | a link to Tuta’s login page, then the password | yes, end-to-end encrypted | the same password works for later messages to that contact |
Two details matter at Proton. Your own reply to a protected message is not end-to-end encrypted by default; you have to turn encryption on again for each reply. And the 28 days include the time the message spent in your drafts folder.
At Hushmail, a recipient who forgets the password has to create a new one and loses access to past secure messages.
Share the password the right way
- Not in the same email, and better not by email at all. Call, send a text message, or tell the person face to face.
- Choose a password that is easy to say, such as several random words. Your password manager can create one.
- At Tuta, you share the password once. It then works for later conversations with the same person.
When PGP is the better choice
If you often write to someone who uses PGP, you do not need a password. Proton Mail then encrypts automatically with the recipient’s public key. At Posteo, you use OpenPGP with Mailvelope, and Posteo’s key directory finds most publicly available keys automatically. Tuta does not use PGP.
Next step
How aliases protect your main address, and how your own domain lets you change providers without a new address, is explained in the guide Email aliases and your own domain, explained.
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