Digital Certificates: How to use your Digital IDs to sign and encrypt e-mail using Outlook

There are 3 options:

If you are Outlook 2003 or Outlook 2007, click here.

Option 1 inside the new message:

If you did not have Microsoft Word set as your default editor when you applied for your Digital ID, the icons for digitally signing and encrypting e-mails will be on the tool bar when you create an e-mail.  You can add the icons automatically at any time, simply by exchanging encrypted email with someone.

Option 2 inside the new message:

If you have Use Microsoft Word to edit e-mail messages set when you apply for your Digital ID, the icons will not be placed on your tool bar.  To digitally sign and encrypt individual messages in this case, you must take the following steps when you create an e-mail.

Click on the Options icon, the Security Settings button, check the desired box for digitally signing and/encrypting, OK, Close.

Option 3 enables it for all messages:

If you want to leave Digital Signing and Encryption turned on all the time, follow the instructions below.

1. Log on to Outlook 2002.  Click on Tools, Options and then the Security tab.  You will see the screen shown below.
2. To digitally sign an e-mail, check the 'Add digital signature to outgoing messages'.  To encrypt an e-mail, check the 'Encrypt contents and attachments for outgoing messages'.  Click APPLY and the OK.
   
   
   
   
3. Congratulations!  You can now send digitally signed and encrypted e-mail.  This sets up Outlook to send all e-mails digitally signed and encrypted.

Outlook 2003 & 2007

If you are using Outlook 2003 or Outlook 2007 and the icons do not show up on the tool bar, send someone an encrypted and digitally signed message and they will be placed on the tool bar for the next message.  To do this, create a new message, click on the Options icon, the Settings button and check the boxes for Encrypt and Add digital signature.  Send it to someone you know who has digital IDs.  Once you have taken this step, all three options above are available to you.

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