How to implement S/MIME in Outlook 2016

For the implementation, please ensure that you have the certificate in PKCS12 format (.pfx). If you need to convert the certificate, you can use our certificate converter for this. You can find further helpful information on converting your certificate in our FAQ article "How can I create a PFX file?".

To import your certificate into Outlook 2016

1

Open your Outlook and select File > Options.

2

Select Trust Center in the options on the left side and click on Trust Center Settings....

3

Switch to the tab E-Mail Security in the left menu and click on Import/Export.

4

In the following window you have the possibility to import the certificate from the previously saved certificate file into Outlook. To do so, select the path where you saved the file and enter the password you have set. Enter a name for the Digital ID and confirm the entry with OK.

5

Specify the security level that should be used to save your PrivateKey and click OK.

6

Congratulations! The certificate was successfully imported into Outlook 2016.

Signing and encryption of messages

Signing an email ensures that the recipient knows that the email came from you and informs them that it was not modified during transmission.
Encrypting an email ensures that only the recipient can read the content and attachments of the email.

To encrypt e-mails, you must first have the recipient's e-mail certificate in your certificate store. To obtain the recipient's certificate, first ask the recipient to send you a signed e-mail. When you receive the signed e-mail, his certificate is automatically imported into your certificate store and you can then send an encrypted e-mail to that person.

Assigning your certificate

1

Open your Outlook and click on File > Options.

2

Select Trust Center in the options on the left and click on Trust Center Settings....

3

In the Trust Center, go to the tab E-Mail Security and select Settings. In the following dialog box you can select certificates for encrypting and signing e-mails. Enter the path to the certificate that you have purchased from us and click on OK.

If you are unsure which certificate to select, you can mark the certificate and click View certificate to view the certificate details.

4

Click on OK to return to the Trust Center.

Signing and encryption of certain messages

1

To encrypt/sign a specific e-mail before sending, first open a new message and write down your text so far.

2

Once you have entered your text, select the tab Options at the top and click Sign and/or Encrypt to enable signing and/or encryption of the message.

3

As soon as you click on Send, Outlook will convert the message according to your specifications and send it to the recipient.

Signing and/or encryption of all messages by default

1

Open your Outlook and click on File > Options.

2

Select Trust Center in the options on the left side and click on Trust Center Settings....

3

Select E-Mail Security to access the settings.

To encrypt each message by default, select the Encrypt content and attachments for outgoing messages option.
To sign each message by default, select the Add digital signature to outgoing messages option.
If you only want to use one of the two options, you can leave the respective checkbox empty. You can set this as you wish.

To confirm the authenticity of a message, it is sufficient to sign the message. Encryption is only required if you want to transmit data confidentially, for example.

4

Click on OK to save the settings.

How can I implement my e-mail certificate (S/MIME) in Outlook 2016 and sign/encrypt my e-mails?

To import your certificate into Outlook 2016

Signing and encryption of messages

Assigning your certificate

Signing and encryption of certain messages

Signing and/or encryption of all messages by default