How to See the Security Certificates Stored in Your Computer (2024)

Security certificates are used for a range of purposes. Among these include identity verification, file encryption, Web authentication, email security and software signature checking. Every certificate on your business computer is stored in a centralized location called the Certificate Manager. Inside the Certificate Manager, you are able to view information about each certificate, including what its purpose is, and are even able to delete certificates.

  1. 1.

    Open the Start menu and click inside the “Search Programs and Files” box. Type “certmgr.msc” (without quotes) in the box and press “Enter” to open the Certificate Manager. In the left pane, click “Certificates - Current User.”

  2. 2.

    Double-click on the desired category in the left pane, such as “Personal,” “Trusted Publishers” or “Trusted People,” and then click on the “Certificates” folder. Its contents will be shown in the right pane.

  3. 3.

    Double-click on a certificate in the right pane to open a dialog box with all its details, including its purpose. Click “OK” to close the dialog box when done. To delete a certificate, right-click on it and select “Delete.”

How to See the Security Certificates Stored in Your Computer (2024)

FAQs

How do I view security certificates? ›

To view certificates for the current user
  1. Select Run from the Start menu, and then enter certmgr. msc. The Certificate Manager tool for the current user appears.
  2. To view your certificates, under Certificates - Current User in the left pane, expand the directory for the type of certificate you want to view.
Sep 15, 2021

How do I see all installed certificates? ›

In this article
  1. Click Start and then click Start Search.
  2. To start the Certificates snap-in, type Certmgr. msc and press the Enter key.
  3. In the left pane of the Certificates snap-in, expand the PrivateCertStore certificate store folder and double-click Certificates.
Dec 14, 2021

Where are certificates stored on my computer? ›

Windows stores certificates locally on the computer in a storage location called the certificate store. A certificate store often has numerous certificates, possibly issued from a number of different certification authorities (CAs). For info on viewing certificates, see How to: View certificates with the MMC snap-in.

How do I view security certificates in Internet Explorer? ›

For viewing digital certificates in Internet Explorer, choose "Tools" ->"Internet options" and then "Content tab" and then "Certificates". Digital certificates are divided into four groups: Personal - certificates with our name, given to us by different Certification Authorities.

How do I view digital certificates? ›

Check Your Certificate Information using Chrome, Edge, or IE
  1. From your desktop, click the Start Menu (or Search field if available)
  2. Type "internet options"
  3. Click Internet Options from the list. The Internet Options window will open.
  4. Select the Content tab.
  5. Click the Certificates button.
Nov 18, 2020

How to see certificates in browser? ›

How do I view an SSL certificate in Chrome or Firefox?
  1. Select the padlock icon located in the address bar of the website.
  2. In the pop-up window, choose "Certificate (Valid)."
  3. Review the "Valid from" dates to ensure the SSL certificate is up-to-date.

How do I view all certificates in Chrome? ›

Here's how to do it:
  1. Open Developer Tools.
  2. Select the Security Tab, which is second from the right with default settings.
  3. Select View Certificate. The certificate viewer you are used to will open up.

How do I check my certificates on Windows 10? ›

You can do this by typing either Cert or Certificate in the run menu.
  1. Select the Manage user certificates option at the top of the menu. ...
  2. Select the Certificates folder in the left navigation to view the list of digital certificates you have installed on your machine. ...
  3. That's it!

Where is certificates in settings? ›

Go to chrome://settings.
  • On the left, click Privacy and security.
  • Click Security.
  • Scroll to Advanced.
  • Click Manage certificates.
  • In the list, find the newly-added CAs.

How do I open a security certificate file? ›

How do I view certificates in Windows?
  1. Use certmgr. msc command inside Run dialog. Press Win+R keys -> type certmgr. ...
  2. Use Windows 10 to open the certificate. You can also simply double-click your . crt file in order for Windows to open it. ...
  3. Open . crt file inside your favorite browser. Right-click on the .
Oct 4, 2023

What are certificates on my computer? ›

A digital certificate is a file or electronic password that proves the authenticity of a device, server, or user through the use of cryptography and the public key infrastructure (PKI). Digital certificate authentication helps organizations ensure that only trusted devices and users can connect to their networks.

How do I find my security certificate? ›

To access and view security certificates on your computer you may follow the steps below:
  1. Press Windows+R key combination to open Run box.
  2. Type certmgr. msc in the search box and press Enter. ...
  3. Under Certificates-Current User, you can click on Untrusted Certificates folder to open.
Feb 20, 2015

How to view SSL certificate details? ›

To view the SSL Information:
  1. Go to an SSL-enabled website.
  2. Click on the padlock icon next to website's URL in the address bar.
  3. In the pop-up window, click on Connection is secure.
  4. Click Certificate is valid.
  5. The Certificate Viewer will appear on the pop-up window, displaying the following information:

How do I access trusted certificates? ›

Click Tools > Internet Options > Content. Click Certificates and then the Trusted Root Certification Authorities tab on the far right. This lists the root CAs known and trusted by your Web browser - that is, the CAs whose certificates have been installed in the SSL software in your Web browser.

How can I see my SSL certificate? ›

To check if SSL certificate is installed, you can use the Certificate Manager tool and check its validity period. Another alternative option is to use the sigcheck Windows Sysinternals utility to verify TLS version. Download the utility and run it with the switch command sigcheck -tv.

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