Gmail has had HTTPS (secure) capabilities for a long time now, but the default protocol has always been plain HTTP. You could manually add the “s” in the URL (http://mail.google.com to https://mail.google.com), but you had to do it every time you logged in. GAlert by MassGrid Solutions (ready my review) had this functionality, but there was no way to save your protocol preferences in Gmail until now.

Gmail rolled out a way to set your protocol preference to all users on Thursday. Here’s how to do it.

  1. Log into your Gmail account (note that this has always been HTTPS).
  2. Click on “Settings”:

    http://gallery.drfaulken.com/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=4618

  3. Scroll down to the very bottom of the Settings page until you see “Browser Connection.” Select “Always use HTTPS.”

    http://gallery.drfaulken.com/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=4614

  4. Click “Save Changes,” you’re all done!

I am glad Gmail finally instituted an option for full-time HTTPS support. I am disappointed it took them over four years and the threat of an automatic hacking attack to do it.

Please go set your preferences to HTTPS now. It will encrypt your traffic to and from Gmail, and may keep your account from being hacked some day.

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