Encrypting Confidential Information

Emailing confidential information, such as client names or social security numbers, is not secure and violates your HMIS agreement. However, there are ways to encrypt files in Word or Excel, which then can be encrypted.

Encrypting Word documents

1. Open up the Word document that you would like to be encrypted.
2. Click the File tab:    

   

3. The Info option may be selected by default. If not, click on that option. Choose the Protect Document option:

   

4. Choose Encrypt with Password:

5. Type in a password of your choosing, and then click Ok. Word will ask you to reenter the password. Do so, and then click Ok.

6. If the password matches, Protect Document will be highlighted in yellow. Save your document, and your Word doc is now encrypted.

Encrypting Excel spreadsheets

1. Open up the Excel spreadsheet that you would like to encrypt.
2. Click the File tab:

   

3. The  Info option may be selected by default. If not, click on that option. Choose the Protect Document option:

4. Choose  Encrypt with Password:

   

5. Type in a password of your choosing, and then click  Ok. Word will ask you to reenter the password. Do so, and then click Ok.

6. If the password matches,  Protect Document will be highlighted in yellow. Save your document, and your Excel spreadsheet is now encrypted.

After encrypting, please remember to never email your document with its password in the email text, as this would make the encryption irrelevant.