Need to send a sensitive email that shouldn’t stick around or be shared? Gmail’s Confidential Mode lets your message self-destruct after a set time, blocks forwarding, copying, downloading and printing, and adds optional passcode protection.
How to:
– In Gmail, click Compose.
– Tap the lock with a clock icon at the bottom of the compose window.
– Choose an expiry date (from 1 day up to 5 years).
– Select SMS passcode if you want to add verification.
– Click Save, then write and send your email.
What it’s for:
Use this when emailing things like passwords, financial details, legal documents or quotes — anything that shouldn’t be saved or shared. The expiry ensures your message won’t linger indefinitely, and the recipient can’t easily forward or download it.
Pro-Tip: Add an expiry reminder in the subject line (e.g. “Expires in 7 days”) — and remember recipients can still screenshot the content, so it’s best for lower-sensitivity communications.
As key project members in many of our IT projects whether, actively assisted or simply advised what they do not know about IT, in our opinion isn’t worth knowing!
- Nadia Mullins-Hills -