Find Private Key Tool (FindPrivateKey.exe)
This command-line tool can be used to retrieve a private key from a certificate store. For example, FindPrivateKey.exe can be used to find the location and name of the private key file associated with a specific X.509 certificate in the certificate store.
Important
The FindPrivateKey tool is shipped as a WCF sample. For more information about where to find the sample and how to build it, see FindPrivateKey.
Syntax
FindPrivateKey<storeName> <storeLocation> [{ {-n <subjectName>} | {-t <thumbprint>} } [-f | -d | -a]]
Remarks
The following tables describe the arguments and the options that can be used with the Find Private Key tool (FindPrivateKey.exe).
| Argument | Description |
|---|---|
storeName |
Name of the certificate store. |
storeLocation |
The location of the certificate store. |
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
/n < subjectName > |
Specifies the subject name of the certificate. |
/t < thumbprint > |
Specifies the thumbprint of the certificate. Use Certmgr.exe to retrieve the thumbprint of the certificate. |
/f |
Outputs the file name only. |
/d |
Outputs the directory only. |
/a |
Outputs the absolute file name. |
Examples
The following command retrieves the private key for John Doe:
FindPrivateKey My CurrentUser -n "CN=John Doe"
The following command retrieves the private key for the local machine:
FindPrivateKey My LocalMachine -t "03 33 98 63 d0 47 e7 48 71 33 62 64 76 5c 4c 9d 42 1d 6b 52" –a