Finding your Keystore's Signature

The MD5 or SHA1 signature of a Xamarin.Android app depends on the .keystore file that was used to sign the APK. Typically, a debug build will use a different .keystore file than a release build.

For Debug / Non-Custom Signed Builds

Xamarin.Android signs all debug builds with the same debug.keystore file. This file is generated when Xamarin.Android is first installed.The steps below detail the process for finding the MD5 or SHA1 signature of the default Xamarin.Android debug.keystore file.

Visual Studio

Locate the Xamarin debug.keystore file that is used to sign the app. By default, the keystore that is used to sign debug versions of a Xamarin.Android application can be found at the following location:

C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Xamarin\Mono for Android\debug.keystore

Information about a keystore is obtained by running the keytool.exe command from the JDK. This tool is typically found in the following location:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jdkVERSION\bin\keytool.exe

Add the directory containing keytool.exe to the PATH environment variable. Open a Command Prompt and run keytool.exe using the following command:

keytool.exe -list -v -keystore "%LocalAppData%\Xamarin\Mono for Android\debug.keystore" -alias androiddebugkey -storepass android -keypass android

When run, keytool.exe should output the following text. The MD5: and SHA1: labels identify the respective signatures:

Alias name: androiddebugkey
Creation date: Aug 19, 2014
Entry type: PrivateKeyEntry
Certificate chain length: 1
Certificate[1]:
Owner: CN=Android Debug, O=Android, C=US
Issuer: CN=Android Debug, O=Android, C=US
Serial number: 53f3b126
Valid from: Tue Aug 19 13:18:46 PDT 2014 until: Sun Nov 15 12:18:46 PST 2043
Certificate fingerprints:
         MD5:  27:78:7C:31:64:C2:79:C6:ED:E5:80:51:33:9C:03:57
         SHA1: 00:E5:8B:DA:29:49:9D:FC:1D:DA:E7:EE:EE:1A:8A:C7:85:E7:31:23
         SHA256: 21:0D:73:90:1D:D6:3D:AB:4C:80:4E:C4:A9:CB:97:FF:34:DD:B4:42:FC:
08:13:E0:49:51:65:A6:7C:7C:90:45
         Signature algorithm name: SHA1withRSA
         Version: 3

Visual Studio for Mac

Locate the Xamarin debug.keystore file that is used to sign the app. By default, the keystore that is used to sign debug versions of a Xamarin.Android application can be found at the following location:

~/.local/share/Xamarin/Mono for Android/debug.keystore

Information about a keystore is obtained by running the keytool command from the JDK. This tool is typically found in the following location:

~/Library/Developer/Xamarin/jdk/microsoft_dist_openjdk_VERSION/bin/keytool

or

/System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/VERSION.jdk/Contents/Home/bin/keytool

Add the directory containing keytool to the PATH environment variable. Open a Terminal and run keytool by using the following command:

$ keytool -list -v -keystore ~/.local/share/Xamarin/Mono\ for\ Android/debug.keystore -alias androiddebugkey -storepass android -keypass android

When run, keytool should output the following text. The MD5: and SHA1: labels identify the respective signatures:

Alias name: androiddebugkey
Creation date: Apr 16, 2015
Entry type: PrivateKeyEntry
Certificate chain length: 1
Certificate[1]:
Owner: CN=Android Debug, O=Android, C=US
Issuer: CN=Android Debug, O=Android, C=US
Serial number: 76afa120
Valid from: Thu Apr 16 10:52:27 PDT 2015 until: Sat Apr 08 10:52:27 PDT 2045
Certificate fingerprints:
     MD5:  0A:D3:7E:80:3D:40:2A:23:89:B9:AB:9C:4B:B6:63:36
     SHA1: 89:33:8F:F2:C5:0C:91:08:4A:CF:04:A5:EC:4A:31:80:84:18:0D:D4
     SHA256: 91:AC:3E:2F:CB:EF:50:07:2B:E0:D9:8D:8B:C2:42:87:6A:85:02:86:EB:44:84:10:34:02:ED:35:CE:C6:38:47
     Signature algorithm name: SHA256withRSA
     Version: 3

Extensions:

#1: ObjectId: 2.5.29.14 Criticality=false
SubjectKeyIdentifier [
KeyIdentifier [
0000: 65 6C FE 67 8E CD CB 9A   01 CD 9F E8 25 9C A4 A3  el.g........%...
0010: 4F 4E CF 17                                        ON..
]
]

For Release / Custom Signed Builds

The process for release builds that are signed with a custom .keystore file are the same as above, with the release .keystore file replacing the debug.keystore file that is used by Xamarin.Android. Replace your own values for the keystore password, and alias name from when the release keystore file was created.

Visual Studio

When the Visual Studio Distribute wizard is used to sign a Xamarin.Android app, the resulting keystore resides in the following location:

C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Xamarin\Mono for Android\Keystore\alias\alias.keystore

For example, if you followed the steps in Create a New Certificate to create a new signing key, the resulting example keystore resides in the following location:

C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Xamarin\Mono for Android\Keystore\chimp\chimp.keystore

For more information about signing a Xamarin.Android app, see Signing the Android Application Package.

Visual Studio for Mac

When the Visual Studio for Mac Sign and Distribute... wizard to sign your app, the resulting keystore resides in the following location:

~/Library/Developer/Xamarin/Keystore/alias/alias.keystore

For example, if you followed the steps in Create a New Certificate to create a new signing key, the resulting example keystore resides in the following location:

~/Library/Developer/Xamarin/Keystore/chimp/chimp.keystore

For more information about signing a Xamarin.Android app, see Signing the Android Application Package.