Thanks to its strong encryption and pledge that even the company can’t access your emails, Proton Mail is a favorite among those who prioritize privacy. However, the platform also packs plenty of useful tools and settings to boost both security and everyday productivity. Whether you’re exploring Proton Mail for the first time or seeking more value from your no-cost account, here’s a guide to maximizing its features.
Expanding Storage for Free and Reserving Usernames
The free Proton Mail plan comes with a 500 MB storage cap and allows for a single email address. You can actually double your space to 1 GB at no charge if you act within 18 days after registration. Select the Get more storage option on the mailbox sidebar and work through the introductory checklist. Once completed, you’ll unlock an extra 500 MB. Those in need of expanded capacity can pay $4 monthly for the Plus subscription, which increases storage to 15 GB—the same as what many Google accounts provide.
Parents have the unique opportunity to reserve a Proton Mail address for their child—as far as 15 years in advance, before the address could be claimed by someone else. Search for an available username via the Proton Foundation, contribute $1 and retain the issued voucher until the child is ready to activate their future inbox.
Email Migration and Productivity Tools
If you’re migrating from another provider or consolidating emails, the Easy Switch tool presents a hassle-free solution. You’ll be able to import contacts, emails, and calendars from services like Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook and other IMAP mailboxes. Head to Settings > Import via Easy Switch in Proton Mail to link your previous accounts. Even after importing, you can manage external emails within Proton Mail, and any messages sent to other Proton Mail users from those addresses will be encrypted end-to-end. Since these messages also remain available in your original external mailbox, you aren’t forced to migrate completely unless you’re ready.
To help prevent typos and forgotten attachments, personalize the Undo Send timer (found under Settings > Messages and composing). This feature lets you delay the sending of emails from the default 10 seconds up to 20, giving you a brief opportunity to cancel a message after clicking send.
Email Aliases, Encryption Methods, and Security Options
With plus addressing, Proton Mail users get unlimited email aliases. Just add a plus and a keyword (such as [email protected]) to your main address for easier filtering and privacy when signing up for newsletters or other services. Free accounts may generate up to 10 random aliases, and paid users face no restrictions. Visit the web app, click the shield icon, go to Hide-my-email aliases, and select New alias to create one.
Email encryption for recipients outside Proton Mail is also available: use the padlock icon during composition to set a password, along with an optional hint and expiration date, ensuring non-Proton users can only read your message with the code. Replies to password-protected emails are encrypted as well, but each new response requires encryption activation again.
You can increase control by setting expiration timers. Clicking the hourglass in the email editor lets you decide how long a message remains in a recipient’s inbox—after which it will be deleted. Proton-to-Proton and password-protected emails to outside users both support this. Subscribers can also set expiration for received messages and automate deletion of trashed mail.
Extra Privacy: Metadata Scrubbing and Message Content Search
For image attachments, Proton Mail offers the choice to strip metadata—such as location and time—prior to sending, so sensitive information is not unintentionally disclosed to email recipients.
Due to Proton Mail’s strict encryption, only simple search criteria (like subject, sender, or date) work immediately. If you’d like to search email text, turn on Message Content Search from the web interface’s search field. This creates a device-specific, local index of your emails, allowing for deeper searches—though it does require some space on your computer and only works where the index was built.
Short Address Options and Ongoing Access
Upgrade to a paid Proton Mail subscription and you’ll be able to use a simple @pm.me address, accessible via Settings > Identity and addresses. Messages sent to this short address route to your main mailbox. If your subscription lapses, you’ll still receive (but cannot send) emails via your @pm.me address.
With such a broad suite of tools, Proton Mail offers more than just privacy—it provides a flexible, secure environment for digital communication and organization, no matter if you stick with the free plan or opt for a paid upgrade.