Converting a .p7b to a .p12 Certificate

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Summary

When renewing a certificate, it is likely that a .p7b type file will be sent instead of a .p12. This article explains the difference and how to convert to .p12.

Synopsis

When renewing a certificate, it is likely that a .p7b type file will be sent instead of a .p12. This article explains the difference and how to convert to .p12.

Discussion

When renewing a certificate, it is common to be sent a .p7b file instead of a .p12 file. The reason for this difference is to avoid transmitting the private key again. A .p7b file is a certificate file without the private key.
As of InstallShield 2015, it is no longer necessary to specify a certificate file for signing. Instead, the suggested best practice is to import the certificate to the system?s certificate store. Then, the certificate can be selected within InstallShield and used directly from the store. Regardless of this new change, it may still be necessary to go from the .p7b file back to a .p12 file.

Additional Information

In order to convert from a .p7b to a .p12, it is best to consult your certificate provider for specific steps or with specific issues.

At a basic level, it is necessary to have the private key associated with the certificate, .pvk, as well as the .p7b. As explained in a Microsoft support KB, https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/269395, a basic overview is to first rename the .p7b certificate to have a .spc ending. After doing so, the .spc and the original .pvk can be used together to create a .pfx using the Microsoft utility pvktopfx.exe. A .pfx is the same as a .p12, so at that point the file can safely be renamed again to a .p12.

It is important to note from above that a .p12/.pfx includes the private key of the certificate. A .p7b is independent from its private key. Signing requires both the public and private portions of the key.

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Case id: 00001065