How to open a password-protected PGP message

A PGP message is text that has been scrambled so only the right person can read it. It looks like this:

-----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----
jA0ECQMC...
-----END PGP MESSAGE-----

Some PGP messages are locked with a password instead of a key. If someone sent you one of these, and told you the password, you can read it with Juvega PGP in your browser. Nothing is sent to us: the unlocking happens on your own device.

Open (decrypt) a message

1. Open Juvega PGP. The Decrypt tab is already selected.
2. Copy the whole message, including the BEGIN and END lines, and paste it into the box. You can also press Open a file if you were sent a .asc or .gpg file.
3. Press Next. Juvega PGP checks the message and asks for the password.
4. Type the password and press Decrypt.
5. The message appears. Press Copy to copy it. If the message contained a file, press Save file.

If it does not work

• "Wrong password": check capital letters and spaces, and ask the sender to confirm the password.
• "This message is locked to a key, not a password": it was encrypted for someone's PGP key. Open it with the app that holds that key, such as OpenKeychain.
• "This is not a PGP message": make sure you copied all of it, including the first and last lines.

Make your own password-protected message

1. In Juvega PGP, choose the Encrypt tab.
2. Type your message, or choose a file.
3. Choose a strong password (at least 4 random words is a good idea). Press Encrypt.
4. Copy the result and send it. Tell the other person the password another way, for example in person or by phone.

The other person can open it with Juvega PGP, OpenKeychain, Kleopatra, GnuPG or any other PGP app. Juvega PGP uses the standard OpenPGP format.

Keep it simple: if the other person just needs to read a message once, a self-destructing private note is even easier.