Gmail Always Use HTTPS

When I starting using Gmail I was surprised that the service would not make use of a secure connection between my computer and the service which was a pressing matter because I was using several other Google services that were requiring https to connect. It felt strange and out of place that Gmail did not require https.

It was still possible to open the https website manually but Google does not force the use of https. There is however a setting in Gmail that is called Browser Connection (discovered via Sizlopedia) where the user can select to Always Use HTTPS when he connects to Gmail.

I highly recommend to enable that setting to everyone who is using Gmail as a mail client but especially to those users who use additional Google services that already force https usage.

You can reach the configuration menu by clicking on the Settings link in the top right corner of the Gmail account. Scroll down to the very bottom of the menu that is showing up after clicking on the link and check the Always Use HTTPS box.

Tags: Email, gmail, gmail https, gmail secure, gmail tips, google-mail, https
Categories: Email, Security

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6 Responses to “Gmail Always Use HTTPS”

1. Todd Vierling says:

   July 25, 2008 at 4:49 pm

   This is a brand new feature, apparently (it’s not on either my Gmail account or my Apps accounts yet), so I’d assume it is being rolled out gradually as with other new features.

   Reply
2. Asgaro says:

   July 25, 2008 at 5:05 pm

   Or you can use the Firefox extension called “Better GMail 2″ and tick the option Force Encrypted Connection (https)

   ;)

   Reply
3. Dustin says:

   July 25, 2008 at 5:21 pm

   Note that you cannot currently be logged in using HTTPS because the option does not appear.

   Reply
4. Metahuman says:

   July 25, 2008 at 6:06 pm

   AFAIK, GMail has been using HTTPS by default for around 6 months now. Before that, you did have the option of using the FireFox extension – ‘Customize Google’, where you could enable the use of HTTPS for most of the Google applications.

   -M

   Reply
5. Webbster says:

   July 25, 2008 at 7:02 pm

   Excellent !
   The setting is there on mine and I’ve just changed it.
   Thanks for posting this.

   Reply