Exporting the Public Key

After generating your key pair, make the public key available to other users. This enables them to use it to encrypt or sign the messages or files they send you. For example, if you want to encrypt a message for user tux, you encrypt it using tux' public key. To decrypt the message, tux uses his private key. If tux wants to send you a message, he encrypts it using your public key and you decrypt the message with your private key.

To make the public key available for others, select Keys+Export Public Keys. The dialog that opens offers four options:

Email

Your public key is sent to a recipient of your choice by email. If you activate this option and confirm with OK, the dialog for creating a new email message with your default mail program appears. Enter the recipient and click Send. The recipient receives your key and can then send you encrypted contents.

Clipboard

You can place your public key here before continuing to process it.

Default Key Server

To make your public key available to a wide audience, export it to one of the key servers on the Internet. For more information, refer to Section 7.5, “The Key Server Dialog”.

File

If you prefer to distribute your key as a file on a data medium instead of sending it by email, click this option, confirm or change the file path and name, and click OK.