Ad Hoc GPG Encrypt and Decrypt

Files.com can GPG encrypt or decrypt a single file on demand, as a one-time action you run yourself. Use it when you have just one file to handle and don't want to set up a folder for it, such as encrypting a file before you send it to a partner who requires GPG, or decrypting a file a partner sent you. If you instead want every file uploaded to a folder encrypted or decrypted automatically, set up GPG Encryption or GPG Decryption as a folder setting.

Site Administrators can use any GPG key available in their current workspace, whether that is the default workspace or a custom workspace. When you switch workspaces, the available keys change to match. Workspace Administrators, Folder Administrators, and Partner Administrators can use keys within the scope of what they administer.

Encrypting a File

When you encrypt a file, you decide who will be able to open it by choosing whose key to encrypt with. To send the file to a partner, encrypt it to that partner so that only they can decrypt it. To keep it for yourself or for a counterparty whose key you store on your site, encrypt it to one or more keys from the GPG Key Manager. A single file is encrypted either to stored keys or to one partner, not to both.

The encrypted file is binary by default, which is the recommended choice for most transfers. If you are sending it over a channel that only accepts plain text, such as email, choose ASCII-armored output instead.

You can also sign the file with one of your private keys. A signature lets the recipient confirm the file came from you and was not altered along the way.

Decrypting a File

When you decrypt a file, Files.com tries the private keys you can access and uses the one that opens the file, so you usually do not need to know which key it was encrypted to. If you would rather control it, you can choose the keys yourself: specific keys from the GPG Key Manager, or a key from a partner.

If a file will not decrypt because of a modification detection code error, you can retry with Ignore MDC integrity check enabled. Only do this when you trust where the file came from and know the error is a compatibility quirk, not a sign that the file was tampered with.

Choosing the File and Where the Result Goes

To encrypt a file, select it and choose GPG Encrypt. To decrypt a file that is already encrypted (its name ends in .pgp or .gpg), select it and choose GPG Decrypt. You can also start from the GPG Key Manager by choosing Encrypt File or Decrypt File on a key, which begins the action with that key already chosen.

The result is saved as a new file. By default it goes in the same folder as the original, but you can choose a different folder, and you can rename the output. If a file with the same name already exists at the destination, the operation fails unless you select Overwrite existing file, which replaces that file.

File Size

Ad hoc GPG encrypt and decrypt work on files up to 5 GB. The action still appears for larger files but will not finish.