Enigmail Email Encryption Tutorial

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How to Start Using PGP/GPG to Encrypt Your Email (Windows)

What is Encryption?

When you encrypt your e-mail, it is scrambled so that only the recipient can read it. For more details, you may wish to read the GPG/PGP Public Key Encryption tutorial. However, you don't need to understand all the technical details of encryption in order to use it, just as you don't need to understand vacuum tubes and transistors in order to watch TV. The important thing to realize is that using encryption can greatly increase your e-mail privacy.

There are a few different ways you could get started using encryption. I will here explain what I think is the easiest method: to download an e-mail program and encryptor all in one integrated package, and then set it up. If you would rather continue using your existing e-mail program (such as Outlook or Outlook Express) and add encryption capabilities to it, see the Setting Up PGP tutorial.

If you would like to view a version of this tutorial illustrated with screenshot pictures so you can follow along, click here.

Step 1: Download

Click here to download Thunderbird Portable with Enigmail and GPG. A box should then pop up; click the Save button. Save it on the Desktop so it will be easy to find.

Step 2: Set up Thunderbird to Recieve Email

Once the download is complete, click the Open button (or find Thunderbird_Portable_with_Enigmail_and_GPG_1.5.0.10_en-us.paf.exe on the desktop and open it that way). If a security warning pops up, click on Run.

Now it should ask you where to install. Let's install in the top level of the C:/ Drive. So just type C:/ in the white area or click the button and choose "Local Disk (C:)".

Wait for it to install.

Now open My Computer. Then open Local Disk (C:). In there, you should have a folder called ThunderbirdPortable; open that. In there, you should have an item called ThunderbirdPortable.exe (or just ThunderbirdPortable). Right-click on that and choose Send To... > Desktop (create shortcut). Now close all that and go back to the desktop. There should now be a "Shortcut to ThunderbirdPortable.exe". Right-click on this shortcut, choose Rename, and type "Thunderbird" or "E-mail" to make it simpler. Open this shortcut.

Indicate that you accept the license and click Continue.

Now we just go through the Thunderbird setup wizard.

On the first screen leave "Email account" selected and click Next.
Type your name and Email address and click Next.
Type in your mail servers. If you don't know what they are, call your internet provider and they can help you. Click Next.
Unless instructed otherwise by your internet provider, leave the incoming and outgoing user name how they are and click Next.
The Account name doesn't really matter, it's just for your reference. Click Next.
Click Finish.

Step 3: Set up Encryption

In Thunderbird, go into the OpenPGP menu and choose Key Management. A wizard should come up (If not, go into the Generate menu and choose New Key Pair. Then just type in a passphrase and click Generate key).

Go through the easy step-by-step Enigmail wizard.

Choose Yes and click Next.
Decide whether or not you want to sign all emails by default (you can change this preference later) and click Next.
On the next screen, you probably will want to leave it selected on "No, I will create per-recipient rules..." and click Next.
Leave it selected to Yes and click Next.
Choose a password and type it in the boxes. You will need to type in this password whenever you send or receive an encrypted email. Click Next. Then click Next again to confirm.
Wait as it generates a key for you.
You do want to create a revocation certificate, so now click Yes. Save it in the ThunderbirdPortable folder for simplicity. Then you will need to type in your password. Then click OK, and finally click Finish.

In order to send someone a message, we'll need to have what's called their "public key". This is just a block of random-looking characters. Here is my public key:

Select that whole block of text and copy it. Then go back to the Key Management window. Go into the Edit menu and choose Import Keys from Clipboard. A message should pop up letting you know that it worked and you now have the key for john@vcn.com.

Step 4: Sending Your First Encrypted Email

Close the key management window. Back on the main Thunderbird window, click the "Write" button. Now you can type a test message to me (or anyone else whose public key you have). Go ahead and do that.

Now, before you hit "send", look down in the bottom-right corner of your message window. Do you see the tiny pencil and key icons? Click on the key. It should turn green. That indicates that the message will be encrypted.

Since you've never written an encrypted message to me before, you will want to attach your public key so that I can reply back. Go into the OpenPGP menu and choose "Attach My Public Key" (not "Attach Public Key..."). Good, now a document called something like 0x873E3F8E.asc should be attached.
Note: No one can write you encrypted messages unless they have your public key, so whenever you're writing to a new correspondent, it's a good idea to attach your public key. Otherwise, they will be unable to reply (although they will still be able to decrypt and read your message).

Click "Send". A dialog box will pop up asking you to enter your passphrase. Go ahead and type that in and click OK. If you typed it in correctly, the message should be whisked away.

That's all there is to it! Pretty fun, huh? Now your e-mail is secure in transit, safe from the prying eyes of government officials or other criminals. The next thing to do is to convince all your family and friends to use encryption as well so you can all communicate securely with each other.