.smime

What is a .smime file?

Digitally signed or encrypted email using S/MIME certificates.

Safe format
Type Security
By IETF (RSA Security originally)
MIME application/pkcs7-mime

Drop any file to identify it

No upload. No signup. No sending your file halfway across the internet.
We tell you what it is, right here in your browser.

What is it

S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) is a standard for digitally signing and encrypting email messages using public-key cryptography and X.509 certificates. When you receive an email with a digital signature icon or a padlock in Outlook, Gmail, or Apple Mail, that's S/MIME at work — proving the sender's identity and optionally encrypting the message so only the intended recipient can read it.

The standard builds on PKCS #7 / CMS (Cryptographic Message Syntax) to wrap email content in signed or encrypted envelopes. A signed message includes the sender's certificate and a cryptographic signature over the message body — recipients can verify the signature using the sender's public key. An encrypted message is encrypted with the recipient's public key from their certificate — only their private key can decrypt it. Messages can be both signed and encrypted.

S/MIME is the enterprise alternative to PGP/GPG for email security. It uses the same X.509 certificate infrastructure as HTTPS, which makes it natural for organisations that already have a PKI (Public Key Infrastructure). Certificate management is handled by IT departments, email clients support it natively (Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird), and many compliance frameworks (HIPAA, financial regulations) accept S/MIME as a valid email encryption mechanism.

Technical details
Full Name
S/MIME Signed or Encrypted Email
MIME Type
application/pkcs7-mime
Developer
IETF (RSA Security originally)
Magic Bytes
30 82 (DER-encoded ASN.1)
Safety
.smime is a known, safe format.
What opens it
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft 365 Win / Mac
Apple Mail
FREE macOS / iOS
Thunderbird
FREE Win / Mac / Linux
OpenSSL (CLI)
FREE Win / Mac / Linux
FAQ
What's the difference between S/MIME and PGP?
Both sign and encrypt email, but they use different trust models. S/MIME uses X.509 certificates from certificate authorities (centralised trust). PGP uses a web of trust (decentralised). S/MIME is more common in enterprises; PGP is more common among individuals and in open-source communities.
Do I need to pay for an S/MIME certificate?
Free S/MIME certificates are available from providers like Actalis. Many organisations issue S/MIME certificates through their internal certificate authority. Paid certificates from providers like DigiCert or Sectigo offer longer validity and identity validation.
Related formats