How do I use Enigmail in Thunderbird?
Christopher Harper
Updated on May 11, 2026
- Open Thunderbird.
- Click the sandwich button in the menu at the top right and then click Add-ons.
- Enter “Enigmail” in the search field and confirm with the Enter key.
- Next to the entry for Enigmail, click Install.
- Once installation is complete, you need to restart Thunderbird by clicking Restart.
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In respect to this, what is Enigmail for Thunderbird?
Enigmail is a seamlessly integrated security add-on for Mozilla Thunderbird and Postbox. It allows you to use OpenPGP to encrypt and digitally sign your emails and to decrypt and verify messages you receive. It can be freely used, modified and distributed under the terms of the Mozilla Public License.
Also Know, how do I setup a PGP email? Sending a digitally signed and / or encrypted email
- Compose the message as usual.
- To digitally sign a message, select OpenPGP from the Thunderbird menu and enable the Sign Message option.
- If your email address is associated with a PGP key, the message will be encrypted with that key.
- Send the message as usual.
Also know, how do I encrypt an email in Thunderbird?
Open a new Compose window and start to enter your message. To encrypt/sign your message, click “OpenPGP -> Encrypt Message” in the menu bar. You can also select “Sign Message” as well. If necessary, attach your public key in the email so the recipient can add it to their library.
How do you use enigmail?
Installing Enigmail Click the sandwich button in the menu at the top right and then click Add-ons. Enter “Enigmail” in the search field and confirm with the Enter key. Next to the entry for Enigmail, click Install. Once installation is complete, you need to restart Thunderbird by clicking Restart.
Related Question AnswersIs PGP open source?
What about Open PGP? PGP is the backbone of Open PGP, which is an open source standard that allows PGP to be used in software that is typically free to the public.How do you digitally sign an email?
Digitally sign all messages- On the File tab, click Options >Trust Center.
- Under Microsoft Outlook Trust Center, click Trust Center Settings.
- On the Email Security tab, under Encrypted Mail, select the Add digital signature to outgoing messages check box.
- If available, you can select one of the following options:
How do I encrypt a message with the public key?
How to use GPG to encrypt stuff- Make sure everything is in one file.
- (OPTIONAL) Sign the file using your private key.
- Encrypt the file using the recipient's public key.
- Send the encrypted file and (optionally) the signature to the other person.
- The recipient of the message will decrypt the encrypted file using his/her private key.
How does PGP encryption work?
When a user encrypts plaintext with PGP, PGP first compresses the plaintext. This session key works with a very secure, fast conventional encryption algorithm to encrypt the plaintext; the result is ciphertext. Once the data is encrypted, the session key is then encrypted to the recipient's public key.Is Thunderbird Hipaa compliant?
Is unencrypted email HIPAA compliant. The short answer here is email clients like Thunderbird and Outlook can be HIPPA compliant, but they are not in their default configuration and most probably never will be while skill assessment does not include the competent use of IT.What is PGP fingerprint?
In public-key cryptography, a public key fingerprint is a short sequence of bytes used to identify a longer public key. Since fingerprints are shorter than the keys they refer to, they can be used to simplify certain key management tasks. In Microsoft software, "thumbprint" is used instead of "fingerprint".How do I encrypt a Gmail email?
Send messages & attachments confidentially- On your computer, go to Gmail.
- Click Compose.
- In the bottom right of the window, click Turn on confidential mode . Tip: If you've already turned on confidential mode for an email, go to the bottom of the email, then click Edit.
- Set an expiration date and passcode.
- Click Save.
How do I send a PGP message?
Here is the simplest way:- Goto pgp. help.
- Paste their key into the public key box.
- Type your message into the message box.
- Copy the encrypted result and send it to the counterparty.
What is PGP signature?
Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) is an encryption program that provides cryptographic privacy and authentication for data communication. PGP is used for signing, encrypting, and decrypting texts, e-mails, files, directories, and whole disk partitions and to increase the security of e-mail communications.How do I send a GPG encrypted email?
Compose the message as you normally would, and then click either (or both) the Sign and Encrypt buttons to the right of the Subject line. When you click Send, you will be prompted for the GPG password you created when you generated your keypair. Type that and click OK.What is the difference between PGP and GPG?
“PGP” stands for “Pretty Good Privacy”; “GPG” stands for “Gnu Privacy Guard.” It was the original freeware copyrighted program; GPG is the re-write of PGP. The PGP uses the RSA algorithm and the IDEA encryption algorithm. GPG uses the NIST AES, Advanced Encryption Standard.Does Gmail use PGP?
Gmail encryption: End-to-end encryption FlowCrypt adds a "Secure Compose" button into your regular Gmail interface, which allows you to send encrypted messages using the PGP (Pretty Good Privacy — yes, that's actually what it's called) standard.How do I set up PGP?
SENDING USERS ENCRYPTED MESSAGES- Find the users PGP key it's almost always in the profile.
- Try it out with my key.
- Now copy my key, go to GNU and press ctrl + v.
- the key should now be in the interface.
- click on the users key and press "clipboard" this where you would put sensitive information (name,address etc.),
What is a PGP key used for?
It is often used to encrypt and decrypt texts, emails, and files to increase the security of emails. PGP encryption uses a mix of data compression, hashing, and public-key cryptography. It also uses symmetric and asymmetric keys to encrypt data that is transferred across networks.How does email PGP work?
PGP is a cryptographic method that lets people communicate privately online. When you send a message using PGP, the message is converted into unreadable ciphertext on your device before it passes over the Internet. Only the recipient has the key to convert the text back into the readable message on their device.How do I use GnuPG?
In This Guide:- What is GnuPG?
- Create GPG Keys.
- Generate a Revocation Certificate.
- Exchange Public Keys. Export Your Public Key. Import and Validate a Public Key. Submit Your Public Key to a Key Server.
- Encrypt a Message.
- Decrypt a Message.
How do I encrypt my address?
Type whatever message you want and copy it to the clipboard. In Windows, you'll need to right click on the Kleopatra tray icon and click Clipboard>>Encrypt. The software will prompt you do select a public key from your keyring with which to encrypt the message.How do I create an encrypted PGP file?
The following steps will allow you to encrypt files with Open PGP:- Get your trading partner's public key to encrypt the file.
- Import your trading partner's public key into a Key Vault.
- Use your file transfer tool to create a Project to encrypt the file.
- Confirm that the project was set up correctly before executing.