How to open red lock mail from gmail

The infamous "red lock" issue!

The "red lock" icon in Gmail indicates that the email you're trying to open is encrypted with a PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) key, which is a type of encryption that requires a public key to decrypt the message. Here's how to open a red lock email from Gmail:

Method 1: Use Gmail's built-in PGP decryption

1. Log in to your Gmail account.
2. Open the email with the red lock icon.
3. Click on the three vertical dots at the top right corner of the email.
4. Select "Show original" from the dropdown menu.
5. In the "Show original" window, click on the "PGP" button.
6. If you have a PGP key installed on your computer, you'll be prompted to decrypt the message. If you don't have a PGP key, you'll need to install one (see Method 2 below).

Method 2: Install a PGP client and decrypt the email

1. Download and install a PGP client software, such as GPG Suite (for Mac) or Gpg4win (for Windows).
2. Once installed, open the PGP client software and import the public key associated with the sender's email address. You can usually find the public key in the email header or in the sender's email signature.
3. Open the red lock email in Gmail and click on the three vertical dots at the top right corner.
4. Select "Show original" from the dropdown menu.
5. In the "Show original" window, copy the entire email content (including the headers).
6. Open the PGP client software and create a new decryption session.
7. Paste the email content into the decryption session and select the public key you imported earlier.
8. Decrypt the email and save it to your computer.

Tips and Variations

• If you're having trouble decrypting the email, try checking the email headers for any errors or issues with the PGP key.
• Some PGP clients may require you to create a new key pair or import the sender's public key manually.
• If you're not comfortable installing a PGP client or decrypting the email manually, you can try contacting the sender to ask for an alternative decryption method or a plain text version of the email.

Remember to always exercise caution when dealing with encrypted emails, as they may contain sensitive information.