Authenticating and encrypting your mail

Enigmail is an add-on to the mail client of Mozilla Thunderbird allowing users to access the authentication and encryption features provided by GnuPG. Thus Enigmail enables Mozilla Thunderbird to send and receive digitally signed and/or encrypted messages using the OpenPGP standard.

Installing GnuPG on Microsoft Windows

Downloading the Installing

Windows installer of GnuPG 1.4.9 available directly from GnuPG. If the preceding link is dead, as happens all too often on the web, then try visiting the home page of the GnuPG Project and see if you can't find it from there.

Thunderbird 2.0

Once GnuPG is installed on your system, the next order of business is to get Thunderbird 2.0. Thunderbird is an email client; it allows you to talk to your mail server, allows you to read email, allows you to write it, allows you to filter it, all the things you expect an email client to do.

Get it from here...

http://www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/thunderbird/

Enigmail

Enigmail is a plug-in for Thunderbird that lets Thunderbird interface seamlessly with GnuPG. You can always find the latest version at Enigmail's downloads page.

Downloading Enigmail

Download the latest version of Enigmail for your operating system.

Firefox Users:

Thunderbird and Firefox both use the .XPI extension for their plug-ins. If you click on the download link, Firefox will think you're asking it to install Enigmail as a Firefox plug-in. This will not work. Instead, right-click on the link and choose "Save link as...".

Installing Enigmail

Start Thunderbird. In the menu bar of the main window you will see "Tools". Select this, and then "Add-ons". This will bring up a new window listing all of your Thunderbird plug-ins. In the lower left-hand corner of this new window you'll see a button marked "Install". Click this button. Tell Thunderbird where you saved the Enigmail .XPI file.

The Thunderbird Add-Ons Manager with Enigmail installed

Another window will pop open, warning that you're about to install a plug-in. You haven't done anything wrong. Thunderbird is just giving you the chance to back out before installing a plug-in. Confirm your decision.

Once installed, you will need to restart Thunderbird.