Setup Gpg4win for Windows
We recommend the software Gpg4win for setting up your e-mail account on Windows using Microsoft Outlook. Download the software and install it on your Windows PC. This software contains all of the necessary tools.
The software is compatible with the following systems (always check the manufacturer’s website) according to the manufacturer:
- Gpg4win is compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 10. Both 32- and 64-bit systems are supported.
- The GpgOL plug-in for Outlook is compatible with Microsoft Outlook 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016 (also 32- and 64-bit versions).
- Microsoft Exchange Server is only supported in Outlook 2010, 2013 and 2016
- Windows LiveMail is not supported
Gpg4win was developed on behalf of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and is the top program for GPG in combination with Windows. The developer's website provides extensive information about GPG and instructions on how to set up a GPG key pair. Therefore we will not include any further description here.
If you are using a compatible version of Outlook, you can encrypt and decrypt your e-mails directly in Outlook.
Tip: Mozilla Thunderbird is a good alternative to Outlook and LiveMail. Here the OpenPGP Key Manager is already included (Thunderbird > 78) and makes encryption very easy.