Lockbin guide · Updated November 9, 2026
Short answer
Install the free Lockbin add-on for Gmail, then click the Lockbin lock while you write an email. Send encrypted files, or add a secure upload link so a client can send you documents. Your client opens it in any browser on their phone or computer, with no account and nothing to install. It works on Google Workspace and personal Gmail. Premium is $10 a month and includes a signed HIPAA BAA.
Why clients get stuck with Gmail's built-in options
Gmail's confidential mode can block forwarding and set an expiry date, but it isn't built for sending patient or client records, and many encryption tools ask the recipient to sign in or create an account before they can read anything. Clients give up and ask you to just send it normally.
With Lockbin, your files are encrypted and stored at Lockbin, and your client gets a secure link. They read or download the files in their browser. No Google account, no Lockbin account, no app.
Set it up
- Install Lockbin from the Google Workspace Marketplace (the link is on the Lockbin for Gmail page) and allow access. If you're signed in to more than one Google account, do this in a private or Incognito window signed in to just one.
- Open Gmail on a computer and click Compose.
- Click the Lockbin lock at the bottom of the new email, then Connect and sign in to Lockbin. You sign in once.
A Google Workspace admin can install it for the whole office, and each person signs in with their own Lockbin login. Use Outlook instead? See sending encrypted email from Outlook.
Send files securely
Click the lock, then Send a file securely. A Lockbin window opens; pick your files and send. Lockbin encrypts them and emails your recipient a secure link, and they can reply securely from the page they read it on.
Files go straight from your browser to Lockbin, never through Gmail, and the add-on can't read your Gmail messages. Keep client details out of the Gmail email itself; Lockbin's BAA covers what you send through Lockbin, not your Gmail account.
Ask a client to send you documents
In a new email, click the lock, tick what you need (photo ID, insurance card, records) and click Add upload link. Send your email as usual. Your client uploads from their phone without an account, and the files arrive encrypted in your Lockbin inbox.
HIPAA and price
The add-on is free with any Lockbin account. The free plan includes 10 secure messages and one document request. Premium is $10 a month for one user, and Enterprise is $10 per user a month, both billed monthly with unlimited requests.
Premium and Enterprise include a signed HIPAA Business Associate Agreement you sign yourself in the Lockbin dashboard; Lockbin countersigns instantly. See how Lockbin's BAA works.
Lockbin stores message bodies and attachments encrypted with AES-256, each message with its own key, uses TLS 1.2 or higher in transit, and records when each message is opened.
Questions
Can I send HIPAA-compliant email from Gmail?
Yes, with Lockbin Premium or Enterprise, which include a signed HIPAA BAA. The Lockbin add-on encrypts what you send and keeps it out of Gmail; keep patient details in the Lockbin message, not the Gmail email.
Does it work with personal Gmail, or only Google Workspace?
Both. The add-on works the same on Google Workspace and personal gmail.com accounts, because your files go to Lockbin, not Google.
Does my recipient need an account?
No. Recipients open Lockbin messages and upload links in any web browser without creating an account or installing anything.
How much does the Gmail add-on cost?
Nothing extra. It uses your Lockbin plan: free for 10 secure messages, or Premium at $10 a month with unlimited requests and the BAA.
Or start free with 10 secure emails and one document request. Questions? Email support@lockbin.com.
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