Personal Authentication Certificates can be generated using the Microsoft Edge browser with Internet Explorer (IE) Mode enabled. Generating the certificate in this browser saves the private key in the system certificate store, which makes it easy to install the certificate.
You must have previously generated your certificate in Edge with IE Mode enabled to follow this installation process. If you instead submitted an existing CSR, you must first manually convert the certificate to PFX before you can import or install it.
Download Certificate File
Once your Personal Authentication Certificate has been issued, you can download the certificate file from your order dashboard. The zip folder download contains a sub-folder named CRT - CER Certificates which contains your personal authentication certificate - the filename may be a string of numbers with the extension .crt. Extract this file from the zip folder.
Import Certificate into Browser Certificate Store
To install the certificate on your system, you can import the certificate file into the Edge Browser certificate store.
To access the certificate store in Edge, go into the browser settings and go to the Privacy, Search, and Services page. (url: edge://settings/privacy)
Under Security, click Manage certificates to open the certificate store.
The certificate store might list one or several certificates that are already installed on your machine. You will not see the certificate you're installing now listed just yet.
Click Import to begin.
Certificate Import Wizard
File to Import - click Browse to locate and select the extracted personal authentication certificate.
Click next once the certificate is selected.
Certificate Store - we recommend placing the certificate in the Personal store, which should be the default option.
Click next.
The final page of the Certificate Import Wizard will confirm the previously entered details. Click Finish and the import will be completed. You should now see your newly installed personal authentication certificate listed in the certificate store.
The certificate should be available to use for email signing and encryption in your mail client, although you may need to adjust your email security settings first.
Export PFX Certificate
If you need to back-up your certificate, or install it on another computer, you can export a PFX file from the Edge browser certificate store. The PFX (PKCS#112) file includes the certificate and private key.
In the certificate store, click to highlight your certificate, then click the Export button.
Certificate Export Wizard
Export Private Key - select Yes, export the Private Key.
If you cannot select this option, then the private key is not saved in the certificate store. You will not be able to export the certificate as a PFX. In this case, you may need to purchase a new certificate and generate it following the Edge with IE mode CSR generation steps.
Click Next.
Export File Format - select Personal Information Exchange - PKCS#12 (.PFX). The default options should be checked (include all certificates and enable certificate privacy).
Click Next.
Security - you must select specific users/groups who can use the certificate, or set a password. If you plan to install the certificate on a different machine, you may want to just set a password. Keep that password somewhere safe, as you'll need it whenever you install the certificate.
The default Encryption option is recommended. Click Next.
File to Export - click Browse to select a directory and save your certificate file.
You can name the file anything you want, but make sure the file type is (*.pfx).
Click save to save the PFX in the chosen location.
The final page of the Certificate Export Wizard confirms your previously selected settings. Click Finish to complete the export process.
You now have a back-up copy of your personal authentication certificate, including the private key. You can install the PFX certificate on another machine, and keep a copy of it in a secure place in case you ever need to re-install.
