Standard Code Signing and Email Signing certificates may be requested by a web browser that is capable of generating a private key. At this time, not many browsers offer this functionality. We can only recommend using Microsoft Edge with Internet Explorer Mode to generate certificates.
This guide will help you set up Internet Explorer mode within your Microsoft Edge browser to generate, collect, and export your code signing or email signing certificates.
At this time, you may not use Chrome, Firefox, or Safari to generate or collect certificates.
Step One – Enable Internet Explorer Mode
First, you must enable Internet Explorer mode within your Edge browser. This feature can be found in Settings. Click the three horizontal dots in the upper-right hand corner, just beneath the X that would close out the browser window to open Settings.
Click default browser in the column of options on the left.
In the pane labeled “Let Internet Explorer open sites in Microsoft Edge” select the option Incompatible Sites Only (recommended). For “Allow Sites to be Reloaded in Internet Explorer mode”, be sure the option Allow is selected from the drop-down menu.
In the pane further below, labeled Internet Explorer mode pages, one will need to manually add which websites will be allowed to be loaded in Internet Explorer mode.
Copy the URL of the generation form website. This URL can be accessed by clicking the “Generate” button for your order on your account dashboard.
Copy the URL from the generation page.
In the Internet Explorer compatibility section of Edge, click Add, then enter the URL from the generation page. Click Add to save.
You may be required to restart the browser for these changes to take effect, and you may also be required to login to your account again.
Once you have configured Edge to use Internet Explorer mode on the generation page, you can proceed to fill out the order form. You should see an Internet Explorer mode banner on the page – do NOT click the “Open in Microsoft Edge” button.
Step Two – Generate the Certificate
To generate your certificate, simply fill out the order form with all requested information.
Some certificate products may allow you to submit a custom CSR. If you are using Edge with IE mode to generate your certificate, you do not need to prepare a CSR. Please make sure the Browser Generation option is enabled if your product allows you to submit a CSR.
Step Three – Complete Validation
After submitting the order, you may be required to complete validation with the Certificate Authority, depending on what kind of certificate you are requesting. Check out the Validation guides in our knowledge base for more information on how to complete validation for your specific certificate.
You should receive an email with a collection link once the certificate is issued.
Step Four – Collect the Certificate
After validation is completed, you will receive an email with a link to the collection website for your certificate.
Before you begin the collection process, you must add the collection website URL to the list of Internet Explorer Mode sites in your Edge browser. Navigate to the website in the certificate collection email, copy the URL, and add it to your IE Mode sites just like you did for the generation page.
After adding the collection site URL, refresh the page and make sure the IE Mode banner is present. Then proceed with the instructions provided in the collection email.
During the collection process, you should encounter a Web Access Confirmation pop-up. Click YES on this pop-up to allow the certificate generation process. If you click NO, you will not be able to collect your certificate.
After clicking Yes on this pop-up, continue with the instructions on the collection page. If the Web Access Confirmation pop-up appears more than once, click YES every time it appears.
Finally, your certificate will be stored in the browser, and can be exported with its private key as a PFX format file.
Export Certificate from Edge Browser
After the certificate collection step is done, return to the Edge browser Settings. On the left-hand menu, click Privacy, search, and services, then scroll down to the Security section. Click Manage Certificates.
In the Certificate store window, in the Personal tab, locate your new certificate and click to highlight the file. Click Export.
Proceed through the Certificate Wizard.
On the Export Private Key page, select the option “Yes, export the private key.” If this option is unavailable, there is some issue with the key and you may need to re-issue the certificate and start the generation process again.
On the Export File Format page, select the “Personal Information Exchange – PKCS #12 (.PFX)” option, and make sure to check the options to “Include all certificates in the certification path if possible” and “Enable certificate privacy”.
On the Security page, check the Password option, then create the new password for the file. You will need to enter this password whenever you install the certificate on a different system.
On the File to Export page, click Browse to select a destination to save the file, and enter a name for the file as well.
Finally, make sure all of the options are correct and Finish the wizard.
When you Finish the wizard, your certificate has been exported! You can now install the certificate on your device or send the file to your technician.