Top email tips Keeping email private

The identity set up box will look like this

If your family has several email accounts but only one computer, you may each want to keep email separate and private (to stop pocket-money seekers rifling through your bank statements, say!). Outlook Express uses password-protected ‘identities’ to make this possible. 

To set up a new identity for another member of your household you firstly need to select File > Identities > Add New Identity from the top menu. Then when the New Identity box appears, type the name, then tick the Require a Password box. Enter and confirm a password.

Outlook Express now asks for technical details for that person’s email account, which should be provided by your email provider. The new identity will now have a completely separate set of mail folders and contacts. Repeat this process for all the other members of the household, except you. 

Once this is done, you'll need to set up your own identity. To do this, select File > Identities > Manage Identities and then highlight Main Identity and click Properties. Now set up your own name and password.

You can switch between identities either from the initial Outlook screen, or by selecting File > Switch Identity from the top menu.

Note that these identities work only with separate email accounts, and not different alias addresses for the same account.

For an extra level of security, emails can be encrypted.