Email confidentiality disclaimer templates

Confidentiality disclaimers are mostly about signalling intent: they tell an accidental recipient what you expect them to do. Their legal force is limited, so a short, plain one does the job as well as a long paragraph and is far more likely to be read. This template is two sentences. Use it as a standalone snippet that you nest into your signatures, so compliance can change the wording in one place.

Template;sig-disclaimer

This email and any attachments are confidential and meant only for the people it's addressed to. If you got it by mistake, please let me know and delete it.

Then type ;sig-disclaimer in any app.

Variations

The same message for a different channel or tone. Copy the one that fits.

A starting point for financial services or healthcare. Your compliance team sets the final wording.

Regulated industries

This message may contain confidential or legally privileged information intended only for the named recipient. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender and delete it. Company is Regulatory status.

For drafts and documents that shouldn't leave the company.

Internal only

Internal only. Please don't forward outside Company.

When to use it

Firms that require a disclaimer on external email.
Sharing drafts or numbers that shouldn't be forwarded.
As a nested snippet shared by several signatures.

What to avoid

Don't write a 200-word disclaimer. Nobody reads it, and length doesn't make it stronger.
Avoid putting the disclaimer above your message.
Don't rely on a disclaimer instead of encryption or a secure file share for sensitive data.

The fields in this template

Retext fills these in when the snippet expands. In plain text they become [brackets] to replace by hand.

Company{fill:Company}: Your company or firm name.
Regulatory status{fill:Regulatory status}: Your regulatory line as compliance writes it, e.g. "authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority".

More about dynamic fields

Tips

•Include it in other signatures with {snippet:sig-disclaimer}, so a wording change updates every signature at once.
•Use it as a per-app snippet only in Mail and Outlook, so it never ends up in Slack.
•If your firm's wording is set by compliance, keep it in the team library. Members with the viewer role can use team snippets but can't change them.

Works in Outlook, Mail and every other app

Retext types the snippet wherever your cursor is. To use a different version in one app, give it the same trigger and limit it to that app with per-app snippets. They go by app, not website, so every tab in your browser counts as one app.

Use it with your team

Keep the disclaimer in the team library, give compliance an editor role and everyone else viewer, and nest it in each person's signature. Compliance gets one place to change the wording.

See Retext for Teams

Questions

Are email confidentiality disclaimers legally binding?

Generally they have limited legal effect on their own. They signal intent and may help in some situations, but they don't replace secure handling of sensitive information.

Where should a confidentiality disclaimer go?

At the very bottom of the email, below your signature, in plain text. Keep it to two or three sentences.

Can I update the disclaimer for everyone at once?

With Retext for Teams, yes. Keep the disclaimer in a team snippet and nest it in each signature. An admin edits it once and everyone gets the new wording.