Google “Confidential Mode” is designed to ensure that only the recipient can view your email, making it the most secure way to send email in Gmail.
What is Gmail Confidential Mode?
Messages sent in confidential mode will require the recipient to enter a code before they can access the sent mail.
Once you hit the send button, the recipient will be informed that a confidential email awaits them, and to read it, they’ll have to verify their identity via a code sent by mail or to a number of their choice.
The contents of this email won’t be included; instead, they’ll be on Google’s servers. Also, know that you can set an expiry date for the mail.
How to Send Confidential Emails in Gmail
To send emails in confidential mode, follow the steps below (we’ll use the web version here, but we’ll also learn how to send confidential emails in the Gmail app).
- Sign in to Gmail and click on the compose button at the top-left corner to begin writing a new email.
- Add your recipient’s email, subject, and the content of your email.
- Now, click “Confidential Mode” at the bottom of the compose window (a padlock with a clock).
- Next, set your expiry period and decide whether the recipient needs a passcode to access the email. (If you choose “No SMS Passcode”, then the code will be delivered to the recipient’s email.
- Now click “Save,” then cross-check your message before hitting Send. If you choose the SMS passcode in the previous step, then you’ll have to provide the recipient’s phone number before your message is sent. Do this carefully.
That’s all.
Meanwhile, if you’re using the Gmail app, when you get to point three,
- Click on the 3-vertical dots on the right-hand side of the compose box.
- Select “Confidential Mode” from the list and continue the setup.
How to Remove Access to a Sent Confidential Mail
Suppose you would like to remove access to a confidential message you’ve already sent. Then navigate to your sent Category, where sent messages are stored.
Now, to “unsend” a confidential email, locate the message under the sent category and open it.
Scroll down the mail and click the “Remove Access” link attached to it.
If the recipient hasn’t read the mail yet, they won’t be able to reaccess it.
Demerits of Gmail Confidential Mail
Gmail confidential mail is quite insecure unless you request SMS passcode verification. Let’s say the recipients’ mail has been compromised – maybe it was logged into a public computer – then the verification is entirely useless.
So, it’s advisable to provide a separate verification number so that even if the email has been compromised, the message can’t be accessed.
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