Stop Sending Secrets in Plain Text: A Simple Guide to PGP

PGP for Real Life: Secure Text and Files

PGP encryption is a simple, powerful tool that’s often overlooked. It can make your digital life more secure without adding a ton of complexity. Like most skills, the biggest hurdle is the setup. After that, it’s just building the habit of using it.

PGP stands for “Pretty Good Privacy.” When you use it, you can protect sensitive information from landing in the wrong hands and reduce how much you expose to third parties. If you already understand crypto wallets, especially public addresses and secret keys, you’re ahead of the curve.

In plain English, PGP lets you encrypt text and files so only the intended recipient can read them. “Encrypt” just means turning readable information into scrambled text that can only be unlocked with the right key. You do that by generating your own keypair (public key + secret key) and exchanging public keys with the people you want to communicate with.

If that sounds confusing right now, no worries. I’m going to walk you through it step by step, and it’ll click once you see it in action.

How PGP Works in Plain English

If you already understand crypto wallets, especially secret keys and public addresses, you can skip ahead to the Step-by-Step Process. If not, here’s the quick version.

PGP encryption relies on two keys:

A) Secret key (keep this private)

This is the key you never share. If someone gets it, they can decrypt messages meant for you. In crypto terms, exposing your PGP secret key is like giving away your wallet’s seed phrase, the “12 words” you’re always warned to protect.

B) Public key (safe to share)

This is the key you can post, send, or share freely. It tells other people how to encrypt messages that only you can decrypt. Think of it like a PO box address: anyone can drop something in, but only you can open it.

Here’s what that looks like in practice: if I want to send you an encrypted message, I only need your public key and a free PGP tool.

I paste your public key into my PGP app, select the message or file, choose your key from my keyring (basically, my saved list of public keys), and click Encrypt. The message turns into a scrambled block of text that only the matching secret key can unlock.

PGP and Crypto: Same Concept, Different Use Case

Crypto wallets run on the same core idea as PGP: keypairs.

One common misconception is that a wallet “stores” your crypto the way a folder stores files on your computer. What you actually have on-chain is the record of ownership. Your wallet is the tool that manages the keys that prove you control it.

Your public key (wallet address) tells people where to send funds or which on-chain account you’re referencing. Your secret key is what gives you the power to authorize actions, like moving assets.

That’s the exact mental model that makes PGP easy: you share a public key so people can encrypt messages to you, and you keep your secret key private so only you can decrypt them.

So yeah, if you’ve ever protected a seed phrase, you already understand the most important rule of PGP.

Your First PGP Message, Step by Step

The fastest way to understand PGP is to use it once. Let’s generate a practice keypair (public key + secret key) and send your first encrypted message.

NOTE: treat this as a throwaway keypair for learning. Once you’re comfortable with the workflow, create a fresh keypair you’ll actually use long-term, and protect it like you would a seed phrase.

1. Choose a PGP tool

There are solid options for every device. Such as: Gpg4win (Windows), GPGTools (macOS), and OpenKeychain (Android). You can also use a browser-based tool to practice encrypting and decrypting text.

If you’re brand new, a browser-based PGP tool is the quickest way to get familiar. If you plan to use PGP regularly, installing a dedicated app is usually the better move.

2. Create a keypair

Open your tool and look for something like 'Keyring', 'Keys', or 'File', depending on the app. Select New Keypair or Generate Keys, then follow the prompts.

You’ll be asked for a name and email. You don’t have to use your real identity. This info mainly helps people identify the correct public key when they’re encrypting something to you. If you want to stay anonymous, use a pseudonym and a separate email.

3. Encrypt a message

Go to the 'Encrypt' or 'Notepad' area of your PGP tool. Paste in your message, select the recipient’s public key from your keyring, then click 'Encrypt'.

Your message will turn into a block of scrambled text. Only the matching secret key can unlock it. Encrypting a file works the same way, except you select a file instead of pasting text.

4. Decrypt a message

To decrypt something you receive, copy the encrypted block, open the 'Decrypt' or 'Notepad' area, paste it in, and click 'Decrypt'.

If the message was encrypted to you and you have the matching secret key, the original text will appear. If your secret key is protected with a password, you’ll be prompted to enter it before decryption.

How to Share Your Public PGP Key

Once you generate a keypair, you’ll have your own public key. That public key is what people need to send you encrypted messages.

Sharing it is basically copy and paste. Open your Keyring (or the equivalent section in your PGP app), find your keypair, and select your public key. It’ll look like a long block of text, often starting with:

“-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----” (I will include an example of a complete public key block below)

Copy the entire public key block and paste it wherever you communicate: email, text, Discord, DMs, whatever. You can even post it publicly.

And yes, it’s safe to share. Think of it like a PO box address: anyone can send something to it, but only you can open what comes in, because only you control the secret key.

Sharing via keyservers (optional, but useful)

Another option is uploading your public key to a keyserver, which works like a public directory for PGP keys. Once your key is listed, other people can look it up by the name or email attached to it, then encrypt messages to you without you having to send your key manually every time.

Two well-known examples are the MIT PGP Public Key Server and the OpenPGP Keyserver. You upload your public key once, and anyone who needs it can search for it and use it.

Just be intentional about what identity you attach to that key. If you want to stay anonymous, generate your keypair with a pseudonym and an email you’re comfortable having publicly associated with it.

Over time, as you share your key and collect the public keys of people you trust, you’ll build a small web of private communication that’s simple, reliable, and hard to beat.

Freedom Through Encryption

You’ve now got the basics of PGP: how keypairs work, how to encrypt and decrypt, and how to share your public key so people can send you private messages. With a little consistent practice, it stops feeling “technical” and starts feeling like a normal part of how you communicate.

Use it for the things that actually matter: sensitive conversations, private files, account recovery details, business docs, and yes, even those personal pictures that are meant for only one set of eyes 😉

And here’s the best part: once you learn it, teach it. Show one friend how to generate a keypair and send a test message. If you can get even one other person using PGP, you’ve doubled your private network overnight, and you’ve made privacy just a little more normal.

Questions or Need a Hand?

If you have questions or you get stuck setting things up, feel free to reach out. You can find me on X (@CRVNE_eth), on Discord (@CRVNE.eth), or by email at [email protected].

Want to level up fast? Practice by copying my public PGP key below and sending me an encrypted message. If you want a reply, include your own public key in the message so I can respond with an encrypted message you can decrypt.

Happy encrypting, frens.

Important Links:

Browser Based PGP Tool - OnlinePGP.com
Windows OS PGP Tool - GPG4Win.de
Mac OS PGP Tool - GPGTools.org
Android PGP Tool - OpenKeychain.org
iOS PGP Tool - IPGMail.com
Various PGP Tools - OpenPGP.org
Public Keyserver - PGP.MIT.edu

Use My Public Key to Practice ⬇️