The digital certificate (also known as Certificate of Natural Person, User or Citizen) is an essential tool for any self-employed worker, entrepreneur or freelance. It allows us to identify ourselves as a natural person in the computer in which it is installed and perform all kinds of private operations in the Tax Agency, the Social Security or the Mercantile Registries. All this speeds up any type of procedure by being able to access them telematically and without the need to make an appointment or go to official offices.
The digital certificate is like our ID card, for that reason it can only be installed on a single computer. But what happens if we need to change our PC? In these situations we will have to export the digital certificate and install it in this new computer. The process is not very intuitive but don’t worry, in today’s article we are going to explain you how to export your digital certificate to another computer from the main browsers on the market (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge). We hope it helps you!
How to export your digital certificate in Edge or Internet Explorer
Step 1. Log in to the Windows Control Panel.
To export your certificate from Microsoft Edge, first of all you need to access the Windows Control Panel.
To do this click on Start (this is the Windows icon in the lower left corner of the screen) and type Control Panel. Click on the result offered by Windows followed by “Open” in the right side menu.
Step 2. Enter the Internet options
Once inside the Control Panel you will find a list with all the options to manage and customize the processes of your operating system. To export the digital certificate, click on “Internet Options”.
Step 3. Select the Certificates option.
Once in the Internet Options window, click on the “Contents” tab. There you will find the following sections:
- Certificates
- Autocomplete
- Fonts and Web Slices
In the “Certificates” section, click on the button with the same name.
Step 4. Locate your digital certificate
Next you will have access to a list with all the certificates you have installed in the browser. Among them you should find your certificate of Natural Person. You can easily locate it through the “Issued by” column and looking for the “FNMT” entry.
Step 5. Export your digital certificate as a private key
Once you have selected the digital certificate from the list, click the “Export” button. A new window with the certificate export wizard will open. Click the “Next” button until the wizard asks if you want to export the certificate as a private key.
Exporting certificates with private key implies that the person using or installing your digital certificate will need a password. Considering the importance of the digital certificate and the procedures that one can do with it, it is highly recommended that we click on the option to export as private key.
Step 6. Choose a password for your digital certificate
Next, you will need to set a password for your digital certificate. Make sure that it is complicated enough so that no one can guess it but that you will not forget it. This will be needed when reinstalling the certificate you have exported to another computer.
Need help writing a password? Don’t worry, we have a cheat sheet to help you create the perfect password.
Step 6. Select where to save your digital certificate
Once you have completed all the above steps, now you only need to select the folder where you want to save your digital certificate. After that, name the file, click on “Save” and finish the process by clicking on “Finish”. Congratulations! You have now exported your digital certificate from Microsoft Edge!
How to export your digital certificate in Firefox
Step 1. Access Firefox settings
To export your digital certificate in Firefox, first of all you need to access the browser preferences. To do this click on “Tools” followed by “Settings”. Alternatively you can type “about:preferences” in the search bar.
Step 2. Go to the Privacy and Security menu
Within the Firefox settings, access the browser’s security options by clicking on the “Privacy & Security” button on the left side menu of the screen.
Step 3. Open the Certificates menu
Within the new menu, access the Certificates section. To do this you must first slide the options almost to the bottom of the page until you see the “Certificates” section. Once there, click on the “View certificates” button.
Step 4. Locate and export the digital certificate in Firefox
Next, select the “Your certificates” tab and look for your Person certificate in the list. After locating it, click on it and click the “Make copy” button.
Step 5. Choose a password
Once you have chosen the Windows location and the name of the copy of your certificate, choose a password so that no one can access it except you. You have just successfully exported your digital certificate from Firefox!
How to export your digital certificate in Chrome
Step 1. Go to Chrome settings
To export your digital certificate from Google Chrome, first of all you will need to access the browser settings. To do this click on “Customize and control Google Chrome” (the three vertical dots in the upper right corner of the screen) and click on the “Settings” option.
Step 2. Enter the Security menu
From the Settings screen you will have access to your browser’s settings options. Among all of them, look for the “Privacy and Security” section in the left side menu and select the “Security” option.
Manage Chrome certificates
Once on the new screen, scroll down the Security options until you reach “Advanced Settings”. Within this section click on the “Manage device certificates” button.
4. Export the digital certificate from Chrome
Below you will be able to see all the certificates installed in Chrome. Find your digital certificate among all of them, select it and click on the “Export” button.
Step 5. Select a password
Finally, since this is your certificate for a Natural Person, it is recommended that you choose a password to keep the file safe. Do not forget it because you will need it to be able to reinstall the digital certificate in your new computer. Then simply select the file format in which you want to save the certificate and a location on your hard drive. It’s that simple!
How to import your digital certificate (Chrome, Firefox and Edge)
Now that you have your digital certificate, it’s time to install it on your new computer but… Do you know how to do it? Don’t worry, we will give you a hand. Below you will find a selection of articles where we will show you how to install the digital certificate in the main browsers on the market.
- How to install the digital certificate in Firefox
- How to install the digital certificate in Chrome
- How to install the digital certificate in Edge
Easily export your digital certificate to another computer
We hope this article has helped you to export your digital certificate from Chrome, Firefox and Edge browsers. As you can see, the process is very simple and once you know the steps, it won’t take you more than five minutes. However, we recommend that once you set a password for your certificate, do not forget it. It cannot be recovered and, if you forget it, you will need to repeat the steps to recover your digital certificate.
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