How to use the Gmail Confidential Mode

Internet giant Google gives the extraordinary priority to their users, and keep updating their services with new security and usability features over time. Major security highlights could be visible in Google Mail, aka Gmail. Over a billion people around the globe use the service, says the company. Among the security features, the company recently announced a new feature that helps to make emails more secure – Confidential Mode. Here is our guide to use the Gmail Confidential Mode.

What is Confidential Mode?

The confidential mode is the highly-protected mailing between users in Gmail interface. The feature first introduced in the latest revamped Gmail UI with the material interface. The feature mainly aims at safeguarding confidential or sensitive data within the email. You can set expiration date, restrictions, revoking sent emails, etc. With this feature, you can post some confidential emails to someone and self-destroy them after a specific time. The confidential mode also allows you to set OTP lock for any email you sent to a particular person. So, whenever they want to open the email, it will require an OTP sent to the registered mobile number of the recipient. Thus, users can prevent email leaking while undergo hijacking.

Google also integrates the new built-in Information Rights Management (IRM) tool in Gmail. With this, you can revoke the access of recipient to forward, copy, download or print the mail. The Gmail will automatically add a larger warning header for confidential emails. If you got clear enough about the new confidential mode in Gmail, here is how to enable it. 

Guide to use the Gmail Confidential Mode

Unlike other features, the new Confidential Mode is no additional settings which need special enabling. The feature is visible while composing the mail itself. Here is how.

Guide to  use the Gmail Confidential Mode

  • Open Gmail in a web browser and tap on the “Compose” button to begin drafting a new mail.
  • Provide the recipient(s), subject, mail body and everything in its order.
  • At the bottom, among the mail composing tools you can find the Confidential Mode settings. You can click the “Padlock with timer” icon to apply the Google’s new Confidential Mode in your mail.
  • When the Confidential mode is on the Gmail will
    • block the recipient to forward, copy/paste, save or download the emails. The mail will be injected with certain secure codes to prevent unauthorized access and leak.
    • set expiration section, you can set the lifetime of the email. There are various timeframes available including one day, one week, one month, three months and five years. Depends on the option you choose, the email will auto-destroy after the time limit.
    • set the passcode feature to the mail. The recipient will need the OTP which he will receive a text message in order to open and read the email. The sender has to provide the mobile number that needs to receive the verification code.

If you send an email to anyone with confidential mode on, he will need the one-time passcode to open it every time. Also, the recipient will not have much access to the mail. It is indeed a cool feature that Google just introduced. The same is available on both free standard Gmail and paid Gsuit version of Gmail.

About the author

Akhil G

Skilled technology writer and widely-read journalist. Social media Influencer, FB India Media Partner. Managing multiple news portals and writing for many. Google Hall Of Fame award winner. Youth Icon of the year - Government of Kerala 2018.