Gmail now lets you send end-to-end encrypted emails to anyone, even outside of Workspace

End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is the gold standard for secure communication, ensuring that only the sender and the intended recipient can ever read a message. But for email, implementing it has always been a clunky, complicated affair, especially when trying to communicate with someone outside of your own organization. It often involved exchanging encryption keys or using special software, creating a huge barrier to adoption.

In a fantastic new update, Google is rolling out a feature for its top-tier Workspace customers that finally solves this problem, allowing users with Gmail client-side encryption to send E2EE emails to anyone, regardless of their email provider.

A seamless guest experience

The brilliance of this new feature lies in its simplicity for the recipient. When an external user receives an E2EE email, they’ll get a notification and a link. Clicking that link allows them to easily access the encrypted message via a guest account in a restricted, secure version of the Gmail web interface.

This process completely removes the traditional hassle. There are no keys to exchange and no special software to install. It “just works,” removing all the underlying complexity to provide a seamless and secure experience for both the sender and the receiver.

Who this is for

Now, before you go looking for this in your personal Gmail account, it’s important to note that this is a very high-end, enterprise-level security feature. For now, this capability is only available for Google Workspace Enterprise Plus customers who also have the Assured Controls add-on.

For the organizations that require this level of enhanced data sovereignty and security—think government, finance, or healthcare—this is a massive deal. It allows them to maintain the highest level of security while still being able to communicate easily with outside partners, clients, and vendors.

While this feature won’t be coming to the masses anytime soon, it’s a significant and impressive step forward in making true, high-level email security both practical and user-friendly. The feature is rolling out now for eligible organizations.