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Guide

Encrypt Text Before Sending

Email or messenger – in the end that is secondary. What matters is something else: the text must be encrypted before it leaves your own device.

If the content is already ciphertext, it does not help an attacker to intercept it along the way. This overview compares the common ways to get there.

Principle

Encryption Before Sending

If only the transmission channel itself encrypts – such as a messenger's built-in encryption – security depends on one thing: the correct implementation by the provider. If the text is encrypted beforehand, locally, the channel no longer matters afterwards.

RotorCrypt X: Four Encryption Layers

Four independent stages. Each one is an obstacle on its own, together they form a system:

① Enigma rotor layer (dynamic permutation through several rotors)
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② AES-256-GCM (block cipher used as a military and government standard)
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③ HMAC signature (cryptographic tamper protection)
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④ HKDF key derivation (automatic key rotation after every message)

Start Password

The program itself is protected as well. At least 12 characters, hardened with Argon2id – a method that deliberately consumes a lot of memory and computing time. A brute-force attack on this password? Simply not practical within a reasonable time.

Handshake and Key Renewal

Before the first secured communication with a contact, there is a handshake. After that, the session key is renewed automatically after every single message – forward secrecy. And every message can be decrypted only once, never a second time, nowhere – replay protection.

Comparison

Methods for Encrypting Text

The same goal, five different ways to get there.

1. PGP / GPG
An open standard, established for decades. GPG4Win with Kleopatra, for example – runs completely offline.
  1. Download GPG4Win from the official website and install it.
  2. Create a new key pair in Kleopatra (public and private key).
  3. Exchange the public key with your contact, e.g. by email.
  4. Encrypt the message with the recipient's public key and send it.
2. Online PGP tools
No download, no setup. Practical for a single text – not for permanent use.
  1. Open an online PGP tool in your browser.
  2. Enter the recipient's public key or have a new key pair generated.
  3. Enter the text and have it encrypted.
  4. Copy the encrypted text and send it.
Note: The text is transmitted to a third-party server or processed there.
3. Signal / WhatsApp
Signal protocol, double ratchet, forward secrecy – built in by default in both.
  1. Install the app and register with your phone number.
  2. Select a contact from the address book or add one.
  3. Enter the message and send – encryption happens automatically in the background.
4. Telegram
The normal chat? Not end-to-end encrypted, stored on Telegram servers. Only the “Secret Chat” is – and you have to activate it first.
  1. Open the chat with the desired contact.
  2. Select “Secret Chat” in the contact menu to start a Secret Chat.
  3. Enter the message in the Secret Chat and send it.
Note: Secret Chats are not synchronized across devices and must be activated individually for each contact.
5. RotorCrypt X
Local. Offline. No server, no account, no cloud – nothing that could lie in between.
  1. Create a contact in the program.
  2. Enter the text and encrypt it.
  3. Copy the generated encryption block and send it through any channel, e.g. by email or messenger.
  4. The recipient pastes the block into RotorCrypt X and decrypts it.

Comparison at a Glance

MethodEnd-to-end encryptionForward SecrecyRuns via the provider's servers
PGP / GPG ✔ Yes (static key) ✘ No, unless an additional protocol is used ✘ No (offline)
Online PGP tools ✔ Yes ● Depends on the provider ✔ Yes
Signal / WhatsApp ✔ Yes, by default ✔ Yes ✔ Yes
Telegram (standard chat) ✘ No ✘ No ✔ Yes
Telegram (Secret Chat) ✔ Yes, optional ✔ Yes ● Yes (relay)
RotorCrypt X ✔ Yes, before every send ✔ Yes ✘ No (offline)

Whom do you have to trust?

With PGP/GPG and RotorCrypt X: no one. Encryption runs offline, on your own computer. In addition, the source code of PGP/GPG is publicly viewable.

With Signal, WhatsApp and Telegram it looks different. You trust the provider – that the method is sound and that no backdoor exists. Signal Foundation and Meta are US companies. And are therefore subject to the US CLOUD Act, which can give US authorities access to stored data. Regardless of where the server is actually located.

Convenience

Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram: encrypt automatically, in the background, without any effort. PGP/GPG and RotorCrypt X require an intermediate step – encrypt the text, copy the ciphertext, only then send it. More effort. In return, independent of the channel.

Use Cases

Who Is This Especially Relevant For?

For most everyday messages, a normal messenger is enough. But there are situations in which additional encryption, independent of the provider, is more than just a precaution:

Supplement

RotorCrypt X-Files

RotorCrypt X specializes in text – only text. For files and folders there is RotorCrypt X-Files: compatible, with its own file vault, export as a self-extracting EXE and a password vault including a generator.

View RotorCrypt X-Files

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ on Encrypting Text

How can I encrypt a text message before sending it?

Locally, with a standalone program – PGP/GPG or RotorCrypt X, for example. Only then does the already encrypted text go on its journey, no matter through which channel.

Do Signal and WhatsApp have forward secrecy?

Yes. Signal protocol, double ratchet – the session key is renewed after every message.

Is Telegram end-to-end encrypted?

Only the optional Secret Chat. The normal cloud chat is stored on Telegram servers without end-to-end encryption.

Is PGP/GPG free to use?

Yes. GPG4Win with Kleopatra, for example – free and open source.

Can RotorCrypt X also encrypt files?

No, RotorCrypt X cannot. For that there is the compatible extension RotorCrypt X-Files, with a file vault.

Are there export restrictions for encryption software?

Yes. US encryption software is subject to US export controls (EAR). Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria – exporting there is restricted or requires a license.

Are messengers such as WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal permitted in all countries?

No. China blocks WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal completely. Iran has blocked Telegram since 2018, Russia again since 2026. Pakistan and Thailand: temporarily. The situation changes, depending on the country and the political climate.