Paste the recipient's public key to encrypt your message
How It Works
Generate a key pair: share your public key, keep your private key secret
To send: encrypt with recipient's public key
To receive: decrypt with your private key
How to Encrypt a Message with PGP
- 1
Generate a PGP Key Pair
Select the Generate Keys mode and click Generate Key Pair. The tool creates an RSA key pair directly in your browser. Copy both keys and store the private key in a safe location. Share only the public key with people who need to send you encrypted messages. - 2
Exchange Public Keys
Send your public key to the person you want to communicate with and ask them for theirs. Public keys are safe to share over email, messaging apps, or public key servers. Anyone with your public key can encrypt messages that only you can decrypt. - 3
Encrypt Your Message
Switch to Encrypt mode, paste the recipient's public key into the public key field, type or paste your message, and click Encrypt Message. The output is an armored PGP message block starting with BEGIN PGP MESSAGE that you can send through any channel. - 4
Decrypt Received Messages
When you receive an encrypted message, switch to Decrypt mode, paste the encrypted block into the message field, provide your private key, and click Decrypt Message. The original plaintext appears instantly. Only your private key can unlock messages encrypted with your public key.
Common Use Cases
Secure Email Communication
Sharing Credentials and API Keys
Journalist and Source Protection
Verifying Message Authenticity
Why Use PGP Encryption?
PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is the most widely used public-key encryption standard for protecting digital communications. It uses asymmetric cryptography, meaning you have two keys: a public key you share freely and a private key you keep secret. When someone encrypts a message with your public key, only your private key can decrypt it. This fundamental design makes PGP ideal for secure communication over untrusted channels like email, chat, and file sharing. This PGP Encryption Tool handles key generation, message encryption, and decryption entirely in your browser, so your keys and messages are never transmitted to any server.
Unlike symmetric encryption tools like AES Text Encryption, where both parties must agree on a shared password, PGP eliminates the key-exchange problem. You publish your public key openly, and anyone can use it to send you an encrypted message without needing to coordinate a shared secret. This is the same principle behind JWT token signing and SSL/TLS certificates. For additional security layers, combine PGP encryption with strong passwords on your private key and use SHA-256 hashing to verify file integrity after decryption.
PGP remains essential for journalists protecting sources, developers sharing credentials, legal teams transmitting confidential documents, and privacy-conscious individuals who want end-to-end encryption outside of centralized platforms. Whether you need to encrypt a single message or establish a long-term secure communication channel, this tool provides the core PGP operations without installing desktop software like GnuPG. For sharing encrypted content that auto-expires, also explore Secure Note Sharing as a complementary option.
How It Compares
Most online PGP tools fall into two categories: those that send your keys to a server for processing and those that run locally but offer limited functionality. Server-side tools like igolder.com and encrypt.to involve transmitting your private key or plaintext over the network, introducing a significant security risk. Even if the server claims not to log data, you have no way to verify that. This tool runs entirely in your browser using the OpenPGP.js library, which means your keys and messages never leave your device. You can verify this by disconnecting from the internet and using the tool offline.
Desktop applications like GnuPG and Kleopatra offer full-featured PGP management with key rings, revocation certificates, and signature verification. They are the right choice for power users who handle PGP daily. However, installing and configuring GPG requires command-line familiarity and is impractical when you just need to encrypt a single message quickly. Paid platforms like ProtonMail and Tutanota integrate PGP into email, but they lock you into their ecosystem and require account creation. This tool fills the gap: it provides the three core PGP operations (generate, encrypt, decrypt) with zero setup, no account, and no cost, making it the fastest path from plaintext to ciphertext for occasional and first-time users.