Turn client-side encryption on or off

Supported editions for this feature: Enterprise Plus; Education Standard and Education Plus.  Compare your edition

You can turn on Google Workspace Client-side encryption (CSE) for users who need to create encrypted content with these services:

• Google Drive—Turn on CSE only for users who need to create client-side encrypted documents, spreadsheets, and presentations or upload client-side encrypted files to Drive. You don't need to turn on CSE for users who only view and edit files shared with them.
• Gmail—Turn on CSE only for users who need to send or receive encrypted messages. 
• Google Calendar—Turn on CSE only for users who need to create client-side encrypted calendar events. You also need to turn on CSE for Drive and Meet for these users if you want them to attach client-side encrypted documents and host client-side encrypted meetings. You don't need to turn on CSE for event invitees.
• Google Meet—Turn on CSE only for users who need to host client-side encrypted online meetings. You don't need to turn on CSE for other meeting participants.

For users who need to only view or edit encrypted content, make sure:

• Internal users are on your key service's key access control list (KACL). For more information, see Set up your key service for client-side encryption.
• External users' identity provider (IdP) are on your key service's allowlist. For details, see Requirements for CSE.

Before you begin

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Make sure you've completed these steps

1. Set up your external key service or hardware key encryption.
2. Add your key service or hardware key encryption to your Admin console.
3. Assign a key service or hardware key encryption  to organizational units or groups.

   If you're using multiple key services, make sure they're assigned to the appropriate organizational units or configuration groups. 

4. Connect Google Workspace to your identity provider (IdP).

Understand the limitations of using CSE with supported services

For more information about features that aren't available to users when they choose to use CSE, see CSE user experience.

If needed, add users to organizational units and groups

Make sure you've placed users into the organizational units or groups for which you want to turn on CSE for all or specific services. 

• For details on creating organizational units, go to Add an organizational unit. 
• For details on creating and using configuration groups, go to Customize service settings with configuration groups.

Turn CSE on or off for users

To turn on CSE for users, you need to turn on CSE for the organizational units or configuration groups the users belong to. Once you turn on user access for CSE, users can choose whether to encrypt content.

To prevent users from encrypting content, you can turn off CSE for the organizational units or configuration groups they belong to. If you turn off CSE for users, any existing client-side encrypted content remains encrypted and accessible.

You must be signed in as a super administrator for this task.

1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

   Sign in using an account with super administrator privileges (does not end in @gmail.com).

2. In the Admin console, go to Menu  SecurityAccess and data controlClient-side encryption.
3. Under Apps, click the name of the Google service for which you want to turn CSE on or off for users.

   Alternatively, under Encryption with external key service or Encryption with hardware keys, click Assign. Then, under Encryption by app, select the Google service for which you want to turn on CSE.

4. In the left panel, select an organizational unit or group for which you want to turn CSE on or off.
5. Under User access, select On or Off.
6. In the pop-up message, confirm your selection.
7. Click Override to keep your setting if the CSE settings for the parent organizational unit are changed.
8. If Overridden is already set for the organizational unit, choose an option:
   • Inherit—Reverts to the same CSE setting as its parent.
   • Save—Saves your new CSE setting (even if the parent setting changes).

Changes can take up to 24 hours but typically happen more quickly. Learn more

If you turned on CSE for Gmail...

For each user who will use CSE for Gmail, you need to prepare and upload their S/MIME certificates and encrypted private key metadata to Gmail. For details, see Set up Gmail CSE for users.

If users have trouble using CSE...

Check the Alert Center if users have trouble using CSE. For more information, go to Client-side encryption service unavailable.