PGP Encrypt / Decrypt

About PGP Encrypt / Decrypt

PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is a proven standard for end-to-end encrypted communications. This tool brings the full OpenPGP workflow to your browser using the OpenPGP.js library — the same engine behind ProtonMail and many open-source email clients. Four tabs cover the complete PGP lifecycle: Encrypt a message using a recipient's public key so only they can read it; Decrypt a ciphertext using your private key and optional passphrase; Generate a fresh key pair (ECC ed25519 for modern use, or RSA 2048/4096 for broad compatibility); and Sign a message or Verify a signed message using public-key cryptography. All operations happen entirely in your browser — no data is sent to any server. ECC key generation is recommended for new use cases because ed25519 keys are far smaller and faster than RSA while providing equivalent security.

Why use PGP Encrypt / Decrypt

How to use PGP Encrypt / Decrypt

1. To encrypt: paste the recipient's public key block in the Encrypt tab, type your message, and click Encrypt to get the ASCII-armored ciphertext.
2. To decrypt: paste your private key, enter your passphrase if the key is protected, paste the ciphertext, and click Decrypt.
3. To generate a key pair: go to Generate Keys, choose ECC (recommended) or RSA, enter a name and email, set an optional passphrase, and click Generate. Download both keys.
4. To sign a message: paste your private key, enter the passphrase if needed, type the message, and click Sign.
5. To verify a signature: paste the signer's public key and the signed message, then click Verify — a green or red badge shows the result.
6. To encrypt a message: open the Encrypt tab, paste the recipient's public key block (-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----), type or paste your message, then click Encrypt to receive ASCII-armored ciphertext.
7. To decrypt a message: open the Decrypt tab, paste your private key block, enter the passphrase if the key is protected, paste the ciphertext, and click Decrypt to reveal the plaintext.

When to use PGP Encrypt / Decrypt

• Encrypting sensitive messages to send over email or chat.
• Testing PGP encryption/decryption logic in a backend service.
• Generating key pairs for a new user or service without installing GPG locally.
• Verifying that a signed release or document is authentic before trusting it.
• Learning OpenPGP workflows before integrating a library into your application.
• Encrypting sensitive messages to send over email, chat, or a public paste link where only the named recipient should be able to read it.

Examples

Tips

• Generate a dedicated test key pair for experimenting before using this tool with important keys; throwaway keys make it easy to validate workflows without risking real identities.
• ECC ed25519 is the recommended choice for new key pairs — keys are tiny, operations are fast, and modern OpenPGP tools all support it. Choose RSA 4096 only when forced by legacy interop.
• Always protect private keys with a strong passphrase, especially if you download and store them. The passphrase encrypts the private key on disk so a stolen .asc file is not immediately usable.
• Compare key fingerprints out-of-band (phone call, in person, or a separate trusted channel) before trusting a public key to belong to a specific person.
• Sign-then-encrypt is the canonical workflow for sensitive correspondence: signing inside the encrypted envelope ensures the recipient knows exactly who sent the message and that it has not been altered.
• Save your generated private key somewhere safe (encrypted password manager, hardware token, or offline backup) the moment it is created — closing the tab without downloading means the key is gone forever.

Frequently Asked Questions

Explore the category

Glossary

OpenPGP

The open standard (RFC 4880) for PGP encryption and signing, implemented by tools like GnuPG, OpenPGP.js, and many email clients. PGP is the brand; OpenPGP is the spec.

Public-key cryptography

An asymmetric scheme where each user has a key pair: the public key encrypts and verifies, the private key decrypts and signs. Knowing the public key reveals nothing about the private key.

ASCII armor

Base64 encoding of binary PGP data with human-readable -----BEGIN/END----- header lines, enabling PGP data to travel safely through plain-text channels like email and chat.

Key ring

A local collection of OpenPGP keys you trust or own. GnuPG stores public keys in pubring.gpg/pubring.kbx and private keys in secring.gpg/private-keys-v1.d. This tool does not maintain a persistent key ring.

Web of trust

A decentralized PGP trust model where users sign one another's keys to attest identity, building a graph of vouched relationships. An alternative to centralized certificate authorities.

RSA vs ECC

RSA is an integer-factorization-based algorithm (key sizes 2048–8192 bits); ECC (elliptic curve, curve25519/ed25519) provides equivalent security with 32-byte keys. ECC is faster, smaller, and recommended for new keys.

Passphrase

A secret used to encrypt a private key on disk. Without the passphrase, a stolen private key file cannot be used. Required when decrypting or signing with a passphrase-protected key.

Fingerprint

A short hash of a public key (typically 40 hex characters for SHA-1, 64 for SHA-256) used for out-of-band identity verification — easier to compare by phone or in person than a full key block.