How to Use SSL With an Email Account in macOS Mail GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Email, Messaging, & Video Calls > Email

How to Use SSL With an Email Account in macOS Mail

Add a degree of security to your Apple Mail messages

By Heinz Tschabitscher Heinz Tschabitscher Writer University of Vienna A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on November 20, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Email Yahoo! Mail Gmail

What to Know

Select Mail > Preferences > Accounts > [your account] > Server Settings and choose Use TLS/SSL. Then, select Save. SSL encrypts the connection between your Mac and your email provider's server. To fully protect your email, you need to encrypt messages using an open-source technology like GPG or a third-party encryption certificate. If your mail provider supports SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer, you can configure macOS Mail to connect to the server using SSL, thereby encrypting and securing some of your communications. SSL is the same technology that secures e-commerce sites.

Use SSL With an Email Account in Apple Mail

Unless you use encryption, email messages travel around the world in plain text, meaning anyone who intercepts them can read their contents. There is a way to at least partially secure the connection from you to your mail server. Here's how to enable SSL encryption for an email account in macOS Mail: Select Mail > Preferences from the menu bar in Apple Mail. Select the Accounts tab, and highlight the desired email account. Select the Server Settings tab. Select Use TLS/SSL. This will automatically change the port used to connect to the mail server. Unless your internet service provider (ISP) gave you specific instructions concerning the port you should use, the default setting is fine. This option will not be available if your email provider does not support SSL. Select Save, and close the Preferences tab. SSL can slightly reduce performance because all communication with the server will be encrypted. You may or may not notice a change in speed depending on how modern your Mac is and what kind of bandwidth you have to your email provider.

SSL vs Encrypted Email

SSL encrypts the connection between your Mac and your email provider's server. This approach offers some degree of protection from people on your local network, as well as your ISP, from snooping on your email transmissions. However, SSL does not encrypt email messages; it only encrypts the communications channel between Apple Mail and your email provider's server. As such, the message is still unencrypted when it moves from your provider's server to its final destination. To fully protect the contents of your email from origin to destination, you will have to encrypt the message itself using an open-source technology like GPG or through the use of a third-party encryption certificate. Alternatively, make use of a free or paid secure email service, which not only encrypts your messages but also protects your privacy. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Use AOL Mail Through an Email Client How to Group Messages by Thread in Mac Mail Program macOS Mail: How to Keep Emails on the Server How to Send Email From a PHP Script Using SMTP Authentication The 5 Best Secure Email Services for 2022 How to Encrypt Email in Gmail 10 Best Free Email Accounts for 2022 How to Send Large File Attachments (Up to 5 GB) in Apple Mail How to Access Yahoo Mail With Outlook How to Specify a Preferred SMTP Server on a Mac How to Password Protect a Folder Here Are the IMAP Settings You Need to Set Up Gmail How to Install MySQL on macOS What is TLS vs. SSL in Online Security? How to Send a Message From a Different Account in OS X Mail Recover an Email Account Password Using macOS Keychain Access Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies