Now that your S/MIME certificate is installed and configured, you can start sending signed and encrypted messages. Set your desired default options for S/MIME email via the four checkboxes under Encrypted email, then click OK to close the Trust Center Window. Again, if you have more than one certificate, select the same one you chose for Signing Certificate.Ĭlick OK to close the Change Security Settings window. Otherwise, you will have to choose one from a list of installed certificates.Ĭlick Choose, next to Encryption Certificate, and click OK on the Confirm Certificate dialog box. If you have only installed one certificate (as shown here), you can click OK on the Confirm Certificate dialog box that pops up. p12.Įnter the password you used when downloading the PKCS#12 file, then click OK.Ĭlick OK on the security dialog box that pops up.Ĭlick the Settings button, under Encrypted email.Ĭlick Choose, next to Signing Certificate. Navigate to the PKCS#12 file, then click Open. Make sure Import existing Digital ID from a file is checked, then click Browse… Select Email Security from the left-hand menu of the Trust Center window.Ĭlick the Import/Export button, under Digital IDs (Certificates). Select Trust Center at the bottom of the menu on the left side of the Outlook Options window. In Outlook, select File from the main menu, then click Options.
However, ECDSA keys cannot be used for email encryption, so it’s best to leave this set to RSA.
Note: when downloading your certificate it is possible to choose between the RSA and ECDSA algorithms via the Algorithm drop-down menu. (Keep this password secure – you will need it later.) Make sure to keep track of where you saved your PKCS#12 file, and do not lose it. If you lose your private key, you will be unable to read messages encrypted with your public key. You will be prompted to create a password before downloading the file. Please check with Microsoft’s Outlook Support about any issues or specific instructions concerning earlier versions of Outlook and/or Windows.ĭownload a PKCS#12 file with your certificate from your SSL.com account by clicking the link supplied in your Certificate Activation Link email and following the on-screen instructions in your web browser.
Testing was done in Outlook version 1902 on Windows 10 Enterprise, but Outlook has natively supported S/MIME for many years.
These instructions detail how to install an S/MIME certificate and send secure email messages with Microsoft Outlook on Windows PCs.