You can send messages and attachments with Gmail's confidential mode to help protect sensitive information from unauthorised access. You can use confidential mode to set an expiry date for messages or revoke access at any time. Recipients of the confidential message will have options to forward, copy, print and download disabled.
Important: Although confidential mode helps prevent the recipients from accidentally sharing your email, it doesn't prevent recipients from taking screenshots or photos of your messages or attachments. Recipients who have malicious programs on their computer may still be able to copy or download your messages or attachments.
Send messages and attachments confidentially
- On your Android phone or tablet, open the Gmail app
.
- Tap Compose.
- In the top right, tap More
Confidential mode.
- If you've already turned on confidential mode, go to the bottom of the email, then tap Edit.
- Turn on Confidential mode.
- Set an expiry date and passcode. These settings impact both the message text and any attachments.
- If you choose 'Standard', recipients using the Gmail app will be able to open it directly. Recipients who don't use Gmail will get emailed a passcode.
- If you choose 'SMS passcode', recipients will receive a passcode by text message. Make sure you enter the recipient's phone number, not your own.
- Tap Done
.
.
Confidential mode.
.Remove access early
You can stop your recipient from opening the email before the expiry date.
- On your Android phone or tablet, open the Gmail app
- Tap Menu
- Open the confidential email.
- At the bottom of the screen, tap Remove access.
Open an email sent with confidential mode
If the sender used confidential mode to send the email:
- You can open the message and attachments until the expiry date or until the sender removes access.
- Options to copy, paste, download, print and forward the message text and attachments will be disabled.
- You might need to enter a passcode to open the email.
- Open the email.
- If the sender does not require an SMS passcode:
- If you use the latest Gmail apps (web or mobile), you will directly find the email when you open it.
- If you use another email client, open the email, click on the link View the email and sign in with your Google credentials to open the message.
- If the sender requires an SMS passcode:
- Select Send passcode.
- Check your text message for the passcode.
- Enter the passcode, then select Submit.
- Open the email.
- Select View the email..
- A new page will open.
- Select Send passcode.
- Check your text messages or email for the passcode.
- Enter the passcode, then select Submit.
I'm getting an error
Email has expiredThe sender may have deleted the email or removed your access before the expiry date. Contact the sender to give you more time or to resend the email.
You can only add SMS passcodes for phone numbers from these regions:
- North America
- South America
- Europe
- Australia
- Asia: India, Korea and Japan