send documents securely

Stay Safe: Tips on How to Send Documents Securely

Posted on | by Offdrive

You can never be too careful on the internet these days. There’s been a massive rise in hackers lately, making it important to take extra precautions to keep your data safe. This includes everything from personal messages to work documents and emails.

If you need to know how to send documents securely over the web, follow the tips below.

1. Enroll in Two-Factor Authentication

The first thing you should do is enable two-factor authentication on your email account, and anything else that gives you the option.

Two-factor authentication adds another layer of security to the login process. With two-factor enabled, you’ll be prompted to put in a PIN code every time you input your email password. This PIN code is texted to your phone, ensuring you’re the only one who gets it.

With two-factor enabled, a hacker can’t get into your account even if they know your password.

You can set up two-factor authentication on Gmail, on the sign-in page for most PCs, and even for social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. It may not be as convenient as using a password only, but it’s a lot safer.

2. Password Protect Your Documents

If you send a lot of files back and forth, consider password protecting them first.

You can easily password-protect PDFs and Word documents with a few simple clicks. If you want to password protect a Word document, all you need to do is:

  1. Open your document in Word and navigate to ‘File’
  2. Click ‘File’, then ‘Info’, and finally ‘Protect Document’
  3. From the drop-down menu, select ‘Encrypt with Password’
  4. In the pop-up window, type the desired password and hit ‘OK’
  5. Save the file as you normally would

To make sure the password protection worked, double-click on the file. You should be prompted to input the desired password. Communicate the password to anyone who might need access, and rest assured knowing nobody else can access the document.

You can also password protect a PDF file. To do this, you need to:

  1. Open the PDF file in Adobe Acrobat
  2. Click ‘File’, then ‘Protect Using Password’
  3. Type your password, then confirm it
  4. Click ‘Apply’ and save your document

You can also do this through most Adobe Acrobat alternatives.

Both of these methods require you to share the password with anyone you want to have access. Make sure you share the password in a secure way, such as through an encrypted or expiring email (as detailed later in this article).

3. Use Email Infrequently

More than ever, individuals and companies alike are moving away from email as the be-all-end-all of online communication.

Applications like Slack, WhatsApp, and Discord have become reliable and safe ways for large groups of people to talk and share files. These applications allow you to bypass email entirely in favor of more open-ended communication. Slack, for example, is like a big chat-room with multiple rooms, file-sharing capabilities, and security features.

To join a Slack or WhatsApp group, you need to be invited specifically. This ensures another level of privacy between you and hackers. While there are restrictions to file sizes you can send over Slack and WhatsApp, they’re not usually much different than the restrictions set by email clients.

4. Encrypt Your Emails

“Encrypt” is a bit of an intimidating word for internet casuals. However, from a workspace perspective, it’s not as hard as it seems.

Microsoft offers its own email encryption software called Microsoft 365 Message Encryption. This replaces the ‘permissions’ button in OUtlook to an ‘Encrypt’ button. By clicking this, your emails become encrypted, meaning nobody can access them except for who’s intended.

You can encrypt all your emails, a single email, or just the files attached — it’s up to you. There are plenty of encryption services out there available for companies. However, this isn’t a very convenient option for individuals as it can get a bit technical and expensive.

5. Set an Expiration Date for Emails

Most people don’t know that you can set emails to expire after a set amount of time.

But it’s true! One of the easiest ways to keep your emails more secure is to set an expiration date. You can do this through Gmail, Outlook, and most other email clients you may use.

To set an expiry date in Gmail, all you need to do is:

  1. Compose your email, then navigate to the ‘Turn confidential mode on/off’ prompt at the bottom of the composition window (it’s to the right of the ‘Insert photo’ icon)
  2. Click ‘Turn confidential mod on/off’ and a ‘Confidential mode’ window will pop up
  3. Under the ‘SET EXPIRY’ text, click the dropdown menu, and select a time. You have a range of options, from one day to a week to five years
  4. Click ‘Save’ and send your message. It will expire and become unavailable after the set date

When you send a confidential email like this, the recipient will not be able to forward, copy, download, or print the email.

You can also set a passcode for your emails through the same ‘Confidential mode’ window, just under the expiry date. This password protects the email. The recipient will need a passcode, which is texted to them, to access the email and its contents.

6. Encrypt Attachments

Easier than encrypting an email itself is encrypting an attachment. Usually these are the most important parts of your emails, especially for work, so this will typically get the job done.

The best way to do this is to turn your attachment into a .zip file before attaching. Zip files can be password-protected and opened by anyone with the same .zip unpacking software. To do this easily use 7-Zip, a free .zip program.

  1. With 7-Zip installed, right-click on the folder or file you want to convert
  2. From the menu click ‘7-Zip’, then ‘Add to archive’. Name the archive, choose zip format, and change the encryption method to AES-256.
  3. Enter a password above the encryption method, reenter it, then click ‘OK’

Now, anyone with a password and 7-Zip can access your file!

Send Documents Securely With These Tips

Using the tips above you can now send documents securely and without worries. Whether you’re sending files for work or for personal use, you need to stay safe on the internet. The more of these security measures you use, the safer you’ll be.

If you’re looking for a way to convert DOC to PDF, or do any number of other easy file conversions, see what Offdrive can do for you.