Outlook: Encrypt Emails and Password-Protect Documents

Issue

• I need to send a secure or encrypted email
• I received a protected message and can't open it
• How do I open an encrypted email?
• I need to password-protect a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file
• I need to add a password to a PDF
• I want to stop people from editing or printing my PDF

Environment

• Duquesne University email (Outlook on the web at duq.edu/mail)
• Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access
• Adobe Acrobat DC (Adobe Reader DC does not support encryption)
• [Operating system not specified. Office steps below match Windows. Confirm before publishing whether macOS steps are needed.]

Resolution

Send an Encrypted Email

1. Go to duq.edu/mail and sign in to your University email account.
2. Start a new message, then select Encrypt from the top menu.
3. Confirm that this message appears above the From field: "Encrypt: This message is encrypted. Recipients can't remove encryption."
4. Finish your message and select Send.

Open an Encrypted Email You Received

1. Open the email saying someone has sent you a protected message, then select Read the message.
2. When asked to sign in, do one of the following:
   • Sign in with your third-party account (if applicable), or
   • Select Sign in with a one-time passcode.
3. If you chose the one-time passcode, check your inbox. The passcode is sent to the same address that received the encrypted email.
4. Enter the passcode and select Continue. The message will open.

Encrypt a Microsoft Office Document

Important: Save a backup copy of the document before encrypting it. If you forget the password, you will not be able to open the document.

1. In Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access, select File in the top-left corner.
2. On the Info tab, select Protect Document > Encrypt with Password.
3. Enter a password and select OK.
4. Enter the password again to confirm it and select OK.
5. Check for a message saying the document is protected and needs a password to open. Then save the document.

Encrypt a PDF Document

Note: This requires Adobe Acrobat DC. Adobe Reader DC cannot encrypt PDFs.

1. Select Protect in the tools panel on the left. If Protect isn't shown, select More Tools.
2. Select Advanced Options > Encrypt with Password.
3. If asked to confirm new security settings, select Yes.
4. Select Require a password to open the document, enter a password, and select OK.
5. Enter the password again to confirm it and select OK.
6. Select OK on the Acrobat security pop-up, then save the document.

Restrict Editing and Printing of a PDF

1. Follow steps 1–3 in Encrypt a PDF Document above.
2. Select Restrict editing and printing of the document, choose the permission level you want, enter a password, and select OK.
   • This password must be different from the password used to open the document.
3. Enter the permissions password again to confirm it and select OK.
4. Select OK on the Acrobat security pop-up, then save the document.

Share the Document Password Securely

Do not email the password to the recipient. Use one of these methods instead:

• In person: Tell the recipient the password.
• Phone or video call: Call the recipient and give them the password.
• Text message: Text the password to the recipient.