PGP Email Encryption in Thunderbird (Native OpenPGP)

If you have basic questions about PGP encryption, see here for more information.

Mozilla Thunderbird supports PGP/OpenPGP encryption natively since version 78. You no longer need Enigmail.

Step 1: Enable OpenPGP in Thunderbird

1. Open Thunderbird and go to Menu → Account Settings.
2. Select your email account (mail.ch) on the left.
3. Click End-to-End Encryption.
4. Check “Enable OpenPGP support for this account".

Step 2: Generate a Key Pair

1. Click “Add Key" → “Create a new OpenPGP key for this account".
2. Enter your name and mail.ch email address.
3. Set a strong passphrase (needed to encrypt/decrypt emails).
4. Click Generate Key. Thunderbird will now create your public/private key pair.

Step 3: Export Your Public Key (Optional but recommended)

1. Go to Account Settings → End-to-End Encryption.
2. Click Manage Keys → select your key → Export Public Key.
3. Save the public key to share with contacts or upload to a public key server if desired.

Step 4: Sending Encrypted Emails

1. Compose a new email.
2. In the toolbar of the compose window, click the padlock icon to encrypt the email.
3. Click the pen icon to sign the email.
4. Thunderbird will prompt you for your passphrase when sending if required.
5. The recipient must have your public key to decrypt the message.

Step 5: Receiving Encrypted Emails

1. If someone sends you an encrypted email, Thunderbird will detect it automatically.
2. Enter your passphrase to decrypt the message.
3. If you do not have the sender’s public key, you cannot verify or decrypt the message.

Important notes:

• Always back up your private key and passphrase in a secure location (USB stick, external drive).
• You can also import public keys of your contacts via Tools → OpenPGP Key Manager → Import Keys.
• Thunderbird’s native OpenPGP ensures compatibility with other modern email clients supporting OpenPGP.