The blog post has a quick explanation of “Why Email Security feature is not working in Windows 10 Mail App.
What actually happens is when users launch Windows 10 Mail App (the icon is available on the taskbar) and click on the Gear icon at the bottom. You will find an Email Security option in the menu visible on the right panel.
Further, if you click on the Email Security option, you get a quick message which reads:
“This setting can’t be applied to any of your accounts “
And if you’re reading this blog post, then chances are you also getting the same message. Right? So why you’re seeing this error message? Let’s dig into it.
Email Security not working in Windows 10 Mail App
As per the information shared by Microsoft on its support pages, the users will get access to an Email Security feature in the Mail app only if the email account support S/MIME.
So what is S/MIME? It stands for Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions. It’s a technology that lets users encrypt their emails. It is based on asymmetric cryptography that adds a layer of security for emails you sent and receive from other email accounts.
Unfortunately, S/MIME technology is not available in the Standard email accounts and due to this reason, most of the Windows 10 users see an error message when they try to access to Email Security feature in the Mail app.
So next time, if you’re seeing the “This setting can’t be applied to any of your accounts” then it means the email account you’re using doesn’t support S/MIME.
Enable Email Security settings in Windows 10
In case, you’re using a custom email account that supports S/MIME technology, then here’s how you can enable and configure Email security in Windows 10 Mail app:
Launch the Mail app and then click on the Gear icon.
Next, from the menu available on the right side, select Email security to view all settings related to the feature. You can see the following screenshot for what settings it offers:
The Email Security setting offers a digital signature and encryption. You can choose an account using drop-down and manage digital signature and encryption settings.
