How To Import and Export Certificates So That You Can Use S/MIME in Outlook Web Access on Multiple Computers (823503)

SUMMARY

This step-by-step article describes how to import and export certificates so that you can use the Secure Multi-Purpose Internet Messaging Extensions (S/MIME) protocol in Microsoft Outlook Web Access (OWA) on multiple computers.

When you request a certificate from a certification authority (CA), the certificate is installed on the local computer where you requested the certificate. If you want to use S/MIME in OWA on multiple computers, the same certificate must be installed on all the computers where you will use this feature. To install the certificate on other computers, you have to export the certificate and then import it to the other computers.

back to the top

Export a Certificate

To export a certificate, follow these steps:

1. From the computer where the certificate was installed, start Microsoft Management Console (MMC).
2. Add the Certificates snap-in to the console. When you are prompted, click My user account as the account to be managed.
3. In the MMC console, double-click Certificates - Current User, double-click Personal, and then click Certificates.
4. In the right pane, right-click the certificate that you want to export, point to All Tasks, and then click Export.
5. When the Certificate Export Wizard starts, click Next.
6. On the Export Private Key page, click Yes, export the private key.
   
   The private key is required for the encrypted messages to be read from the computer where the key will be imported.
7. On the Export File Format page, leave the default settings, and then click Next.
8. On the Password page, type password for the private key.
9. On the File to Export page, type the path and the name for the exported certificate file, and then click Next.
   
   The file name has a .pfx extension. This file is the .pfx file that is imported to other computers.
10. Click Finish.

The export certificate file is saved with the name that you specified and a .pfx extension.

back to the top

Import a Certificate

To import a certificate, follow these steps:

1. On the computer that the certificate is to be imported to, locate the .pfx file that was exported in the procedure described earlier in this article.
2. Right-click the file, and then click Install PFX.
3. When the Certificate Import Wizard starts, click Next.
4. On the File to Import page, click Next.
5. On the Password page, type the password for the private key in the Password box, and then click Next.
   
   You do not have to select the option to make the key exportable, because you already have an exported copy.
6. On the Certificate Store page, click Automatically select the certificate store based on the type of certificate, and then click Next.
7. Click Finish.

For additional information about how to remove, import, and export digital certificates, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: back to the top