Aid4Mail Remote Authenticator
Give an Aid4Mail 6 user read-only access to your email account without installing any software. For Google and Microsoft accounts, your password stays with your provider.
Aid4Mail 6 only. This Remote Authenticator works with Aid4Mail 6 releases. It does not work with Aid4Mail 7. If the person requesting access uses Aid4Mail 7, they will send you a different Remote Authenticator package generated from Aid4Mail 7; do not use this download for that. The license agreement is shown each time you run the program (read it here).
How It Works
Check the request
Make sure the request is genuine and that you are allowed to grant access: who is asking, which account, what for, who will receive the file, any time limit, and how you are asked to send it.
Download and run
Run the program on Windows 10 or 11. No installation is needed. Read and accept the license agreement, then enter the email address of the account.
Authorize and save
Google or Microsoft account: sign in with your provider and approve the read-only permissions it lists. Other (IMAP) account: check the server settings, enter your password or app password, and set an optional expiry date. Save the credential file.
Send the file safely
Use the secure transfer method the requesting party gives you, or email the file inside an AES-256 encrypted archive with a strong password sent by a different route. See the rules below.
Treat the credential file like a key to your account
Any copy of Aid4Mail 6 that receives the file can use it for as long as the underlying access is valid. Send it in one of two ways only: through the secure transfer method the requesting party gives you, or by email inside an archive encrypted with AES-256 and protected by a strong password of at least 16 characters. The older standard ZIP password protection is not enough. Send the archive password by a different route, such as telephone or text message, never in the same email or thread. Never send the file on its own, in an unencrypted archive, or through a support form or ticket system.
The file name contains your email address. If your archive tool can encrypt file names, use that option. Once the requesting party confirms receipt, delete your own copy unless you need to keep it. If the file goes to the wrong person, tell the requesting party at once and do not email it again, even in an encrypted archive.
What You Should Know
Google and Microsoft accounts
You sign in with your provider and approve read-only permissions. The file holds the provider’s authorization; your password is not in it.
Other (IMAP) accounts
The file holds your server settings in readable form and your password in protected form. Keep it private and send it only as described above. You can set an expiry date after which Aid4Mail 6 refuses the file.
No installation
The program runs without installation; the credential file you save is its output. Windows, your browser, your network, security software, and your email provider may keep their own logs of the sign-in.
Ending access
Google or Microsoft account: remove Aid4Mail’s access in your account’s settings for connected apps; revocation may take a little time to take effect everywhere. IMAP account: change your password or app password. Deleting the file from your computer does not end access on its own.
No license needed
Free to use without any Aid4Mail license. The person requesting access needs Aid4Mail 6 to read the file; the file does not let anyone send, change, or delete your email under its license.
Optional expiry date for IMAP
For an IMAP account you can set a date after which Aid4Mail 6 refuses the file. The expiry does not change your password; to end access completely, change the password or app password.
Who Uses Remote Authenticator?
Legal Discovery
Law firms collecting email from clients for litigation. Clients grant read-only access for the matter and can end it when the matter is over.
Corporate Investigations
HR departments and compliance teams collecting employee email for internal investigations, with the employee’s cooperation and within the organization’s authority.
Digital Forensics
Forensic investigators collecting email from custodian accounts with the custodian’s cooperation, without asking for the account password.
Regulatory Compliance
Organizations responding to regulatory requests that need read-only access to specific mailboxes for a defined period.
System Requirements
Operating System
- Windows 11
- Windows 10
Technical Details
- 32-bit and 64-bit compatible
- File size: ~6 MB
- No installation required
- Internet connection for provider sign-in
Supported Email Services
Ready to Create the Credential File?
Download the Remote Authenticator for Aid4Mail 6 and follow the custodian guide.
Never attach the credential file, a password, or an app password to an email to Fookes Software. If support needs a file, it will give you a secure way to send it.