10 Life Hacks Every Proton Mail User Should Know
Proton Mail is a privacy-focused email service that removes trackers from messages, supports zero-access encryption (meaning Proton can’t read or transmit the contents of your emails), and offers end-to-end encryption between Proton mailboxes. If you’re a Proton user, there are a few other ways you can maximize these privacy features and make sending and receiving emails as convenient as possible.
Complete step-by-step setup instructions will allow you to get additional storage as part of your free plan.
Proton Mail is free to use if you have just one email address, but storage is limited to 500 MB, which can quickly fill up if you receive messages with large attachments. You can upgrade to a Plus subscription for $4 per month to get 15 GB of storage—the same amount available to most Google users—but if you don’t want to pay anything, you can at least double your limit to 1 GB by completing the Proton sign-up process within 18 days of signing up. Find the “Get More Storage” option in the left sidebar of your inbox and click the action to complete the task. After completing the checklist, you’ll unlock an additional 500 MB of storage in your account.
Reserve an email address in your child’s name.
If you have a relatively common name, many email addresses using simple rules like firstname and lastname are likely already taken. By the time your children reach the age of creating their own accounts, the choice may be even smaller. You can reserve a username for them through Proton Mail, and they’ll have 15 years to activate it. When they reach adulthood, they’ll already have a personal email address.Choose an address and contribute $1 to the Proton fund, then save the voucher to share with your child later.
Use Easy Switch to migrate external email addresses.
If you’re switching to Proton Mail from another email provider or simply want to have all your messages in one inbox, you can use Proton’s Easy Switch feature to connect and import messages from Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook, and any other provider that supports IMAP access. Once you enable Easy Switch, you’ll be able to receive and send messages from your external address in Proton, and any email sent to another Proton user from that address will be end-to-end encrypted. You’ll keep copies of your messages in your external mailbox, so you don’t need to make a full switch right away. Easy Switch can also migrate your contacts and calendars. Go to Settings > Import via Easy Switch , select your email service, and follow the instructions.
Set up an undo timer to recall emails.
We’ve all sent emails that we later regretted not being able to cancel due to an overlooked typo, a forgotten attachment, or a message we later regretted. Proton Mail has a delayed send feature that gives you up to 20 seconds to change your mind before the email is sent. The default timer is set to 10 seconds, but you can decrease it to 0.5 seconds or increase it to 20. Go to Settings > Messages & Compose , scroll down to the Compose section, and select your desired time from the “Undo Send” drop-down list .
Create aliases to filter mail to specific folders.
There are many compelling reasons to use email aliases, from keeping your primary address private to conveniently filtering messages from mailing lists. Proton Mail supports unlimited plus-sign addresses, meaning you can simply add a plus sign and a word after your username to create a new email address—for example, [username] [email protected] —and receive messages in your regular inbox (with filters, if you’ve set them up). This can be done when registering an account or adding your email address to a mailing list. Alternatively, you can create a randomly generated email alias that hides your username. Free users can create up to 10 aliases, while paid subscribers can create an unlimited number. In the web interface, click the privacy shield icon, go to “Hide my email aliases,” and click “New alias.”
Add a password to encrypt emails sent to non-Proton users.
Messages between Proton users are automatically end-to-end encrypted, but if your recipient doesn’t use Proton Mail, you can set a password for your messages to keep them private. Replies to password-protected messages are also encrypted (although you’ll need to re-enable encryption to reply to such messages). When composing a message, click the lock icon in the bottom toolbar and enter a password and password hint. You can also set an expiration date. Please note that you’ll need to share the password with the recipient separately.
Set expiration timers to automatically delete emails from recipients’ inboxes.
Another security feature in Proton Mail is the expiration timer, which automatically deletes emails you send and receive after a set period, preventing them from lingering indefinitely in your inbox and sent folders. You can set an expiration timer for messages sent to other Proton Mail users, as well as for password-protected messages sent to people not registered with Proton. If you have a paid account, you can also set up automatic shredding of received messages (in addition to automatically deleting messages in the trash). Click the hourglass icon at the bottom of the message and set the expiration date and time. If you’re sending a password-protected message to someone not registered with Proton, select the checkbox. Then click “Set.”
Remove metadata to protect your privacy when sending images.
When taking a photo, image metadata can reveal location, time, date, and other information that could be used to trace your identity if the image falls into the wrong hands. Proton Mail can remove this data from sent images, so you can email photos without revealing any unnecessary information. When attaching an image to an email draft, select “Remove Metadata” when prompted.
Enable message content search to create a local, searchable index of your emails.
Thanks to Proton encryption, the standard search function only reads names, dates, email addresses, and message subjects. If you want to include message content, you need to enable local indexing in your browser, which protects it from unauthorized access unless someone has physical access to your device. Click the search bar at the top of your email in the web app and click “Enable” next to “Message content search.” Click “Enable” to confirm. Please note that indexing requires storage space, but once complete, it will automatically update as long as your browser is open.
Activate your short domain to get a shorter and simpler address.
By default, Proton Mail addresses end in @proton.me (unless you connect your own domain). However, paid plan users can add a short domain, which looks simply like [username]@pm.me. You can send messages from either address, and both will arrive in your inbox. The shorter address is easier to remember and communicate, for example, when giving out your email address over the phone. To enable it, go to Settings > Identity & Addresses . You must be a paid subscriber to activate the short domain address—if you upgrade to a free plan, you will still be able to receive (but not send) messages sent to your @pm.me address.