PGP Decrypt Message

Decrypt PGP/GPG encrypted text messages using your private key to read secure communications.

Overview

This tool decrypts PGP/GPG-encrypted text messages directly in your browser. Paste a ciphertext block (-----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----), provide your private key and passphrase, and the plaintext is revealed — all without your private key or decrypted content ever touching a server. Because PGP private keys are among the most sensitive credentials a person can hold, running decryption entirely client-side is not just a convenience: it is the only approach that keeps your key truly private. Supports standard ASCII-armored .asc and .pgp ciphertext produced by any OpenPGP-compatible tool or email client.

Common Use Cases

  • Decrypt PGP Email — Read an encrypted email received from a colleague or contact by decrypting the ASCII-armored message body with your private key.
  • Verify Secure Handoffs — Developers and security teams use PGP-encrypted channels to share credentials or secrets; decrypt those messages without exposing the private key to a remote service.
  • Journalist Source Communications — Journalists who receive tips via encrypted email can safely decrypt messages on-device, protecting both source identity and communication contents.
  • Password Manager or Backup Recovery — Recover passphrase-protected PGP-encrypted backup blobs or exported vaults without uploading sensitive data to a third-party site.
  • Offline-Capable Decryption — Because the tool works without a network connection after the page loads, it can be used in air-gapped or restricted environments where sending data to a server is not an option.

How It Works
1

Import Your Private Key

Upload or paste your PGP private key and enter the passphrase if your key is password-protected.

2

Paste Encrypted Message

Copy and paste the PGP encrypted message you received (starting with -----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----).

3

Decrypt and Read

The tool decrypts the message using your private key and displays the original readable text content.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I decrypt this message?
Make sure you're using the correct private key that corresponds to the public key used for encryption. Also verify your passphrase is correct if your key is protected.

Do I need to share my private key?
Never share your private key! Only you should have access to it. Others encrypt messages using your public key, which you can safely share.

What if I forgot my private key passphrase?
Unfortunately, without the correct passphrase, you cannot decrypt messages. PGP passphrases cannot be recovered - you would need to generate new keys.

Is it safe to decrypt messages in the browser?
Yes, all decryption happens locally on your device. Your private key and decrypted messages are never transmitted to external servers.

Can I decrypt messages from multiple senders?
Yes, as long as all messages were encrypted with your public key, you can decrypt them with your private key regardless of who sent them.

Related Tools

AES File & Text Encryptor Base64 Decode Base64 Encode CSR Generator DER to PEM Converter Hash Generator