Welcome to Bracket. Watch the video below to see how Bracket works its magic.
Bracket 101
Bracket™ is the email encryption service that's both secure and easy to use. Read this quick overview to instantly become an email encryption master.
Creating a message
Sending from any email client
With Bracket you can send an encrypted email from any client configured to accept and send mail for your email account. If you have a favorite email app on your phone, tablet, or desktop computer, you're free to keep using it. This is what really makes Bracket different.
To send an encrypted email, just wrap the subject in brackets [like this]. That's literally all there is to it. When you send your email, it will be securely delivered straight to Bracket's systems which will see the special subject and apply multiple layers of super secure encryption. After this, an automated email will be instantly sent to your recipients.
When your recipients get the email notification they'll see a secure, one-time-use link. One click or tap and they're viewing your message.
Sending from bracket.email
You can also create and send a new encrypted email from the bracket.email website. To sign in, go to https://bracket.email, and enter your email address. If you have an active Bracket account, we'll email you a secure sign-in link. Open the email, then click or tap the sign-in button to access your inbox. You may also choose to enter the one-time-use sign-in code shown in the email. If you've set up additional security options for your account, you'll be prompted to validate your access using those methods at this time (see FAQ's for more information about extra security options).
Once you're signed in, click the pencil icon in the left navigation area (desktop) or the button in the bottom right of your inbox (phone/tablet). When you create a new message you'll notice that brackets wrap your subject automatically. Drafts are automatically saved, so if something happens while you're creating a message it will simply show up in your inbox as a draft which you can open and complete at any time.
One benefit to sending your encrypted message from bracket.email is that you can set extra options. To do this click the options icon in the top navigation on the message compose page and your options will be shown (Note: some options may not be available. If an option is greyed out then you'll need to contact your email administrator for more info).
Attachments
Normally large attachments cannot be sent through email, but with Bracket you can easily send messages with attachments as large as 250MB in size. If you do need to send a large attachment, just be sure to send your message from bracket.email instead of your normal email client. While we have no problem with large attachments, your own mail systems might not be so accommodating.
Replying
Replying is a breeze with Bracket. Just click or tap one of the reply buttons on any message, type your reply, click the paper clip icon to add any attachments, then submit the message. Your reply will be neatly added to the message thread. All the recipients of the original message will receive a notification with a secure link to view your reply.
Settings
How to get to settings
To access your settings, click the gear icon (located in the top right of your inbox on mobile and in the left navigation on desktop). From the settings page, you can customize what your contacts will see, set default message options, and enable extra security options.
Profile
The profile area lets you upload your photo and enter your name, title, and company. This information is optional, but we recommend that you fill these details in as they go a long way to help make your encrypted email notifications more recognizable to your contacts.
Default message options
In the default message options area, you can set default message options behaviors. The settings you adjust here will be reflected in the message options for an individual message, and of course, you can always overrule the defaults by changing the settings for an individual message.
Extra security
If you need extra security, you can enable Two Factor Authentication (TFA) from the settings page as well. If TFA is enabled, you'll be required to enter an additional code (sent to your phone or tablet) so our systems are sure you are who you say you are.
FAQ
How long will my email be viewable on Bracket?
Because most people don't want or need their sensitive data lingering around forever, Bracket only retains your messages for one year. But if you want to save it for longer than that, we've made it very simple to export your data to archiving solutions or even securely download them to your computer. On the flip side, if you would like your message to expire more quickly, you can set the message expiration for an individual message by clicking the message options icon in the top navigation when creating a new message or viewing a message you've already created. Expired messages are deleted and no longer accessible to you or any of the message's recipients.
Will Bracket work with my other email accounts like Gmail?
No. When creating an encrypted email with Bracket, you'll need to be using the email address your email administrator initially set up your Bracket account with. For instance, if you tried to send an encrypted email from a personal address @gmail.com, @outlook.com, or @yahoo.com, those mail systems wouldn't be set up to handle encryption for Bracket, so your email would be delivered without ever passing through our systems.
How secure is my email?
Bracket is easy to use, but we haven't sacrificed your privacy or security. Here's why you can rest assured that your data is also very safe.
One thing that really makes Bracket intuitive is signing in doesn't require a password. You're probably thinking "What?... no password! How is that secure?" But think about it... if someone has access to your email on one of your devices your security is already compromised. This method of logging in is no less secure than the widely accepted practice of securely emailing yourself a password reset link, and it's actually even more secure than that for the following reasons.
Whether you're requesting a sign-in link or viewing a message from a notification, the email you receive contains a one-time-use button that securely signs you in and takes you directly to the message. If that button is clicked again, you'll be prompted to request a fresh sign-in link.
In addition, we've added an extra layer of security called "device fingerprinting". If a sign-in link is clicked on a device that's different from the device used when requesting the sign-in link, the login session will be invalid. To sign in to Bracket, you must use the same device you used when requesting the sign-in link. This way, your email link cannot be spoofed or intercepted in any way.
Finally, each sign-in request contains a geolocation signature which shows the approximate location from which the sign-in request originated. Any sign-in requests coming from places geographically far away from your current location should be ignored.
If you really want to lock your Bracket access down we also have two advanced options which make your content so secure that even our top engineers couldn't access your email... even if another entity tried to force us to:
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Enable Two Factor Authorization
Two Factor Authentication (TFA) is set up from your settings page. When setting up TFA you will be required to enter your mobile phone number. Once TFA is enabled, you'll sign in by requesting a sign-in link as usual, but you will then be prompted to enter a randomly generated, single-use six-digit code (which is automatically delivered via SMS to your mobile device). -
Enable Personal Data Key
You can tell Bracket to generate a secure personal data key from the settings page. Your personal data key will be shown to you only during setup, at which time you will be responsible for recording your key and storing it in a safe place. Once enabled, this unique key will be required when you sign in. If you have enabled this security mechanism, it will be impossible to view your data without your personal data key. Please note that without this key our only way to restore your access to Bracket is to reset your account, which will wipe any previously existing messages. It's that secure.
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