How to Create a Self-Signed SSL Certificate in Powershell

Creating a self-signed SSL certificate in PowerShell allows you to generate a digital certificate that can be used for secure communications and data encryption. Unlike the regular SSLs, this certificate is created and signed by the user rather than a Certificate Authority (CA).

Let us start with creating a self-signed SSL certificate in Powershell.

Steps to Create a Self-signed SSL Certificate in Powershell

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to create a self-signed certificate in PowerShell:

• Open PowerShell with administrative privileges by right-clicking on the PowerShell icon and selecting “Run as administrator.”

• Use this command to create a new self-signed certificate:

New-SelfSignedCertificate -DnsName "example.com" -CertStoreLocation "Cert:\LocalMachine\My"

This command creates a self-signed certificate with the DNS name “example.com” and stores it in the “My” store of the local machine. You can replace “example.com” with your own domain name.

• This command can be used to view the newly created certificate:

Get-ChildItem -Path Cert:\LocalMachine\My


This command lists all the certificates stored in the “My” store of the local machine. You should see the newly created certificate in the list.

• To export the certificate in .pfx format, use the following command to export the certificate in .pfx format:

Export-PfxCertificate -Cert Cert:\LocalMachine\My\[Thumbprint] -FilePath C:\Certificates\example.pfx -Password (ConvertTo-SecureString -String "password" -Force -AsPlainText)

Replace [Thumbprint] with the thumbprint of the certificate you just created, and change the file path and password to your desired location and password, respectively.

• Optionally, you can use the following command to import the certificate to the Trusted Root Certification Authorities.

Import-Certificate -FilePath C:\Certificates\example.pfx -CertStoreLocation Cert:\LocalMachine\Root


You have now successfully created a self-signed certificate in PowerShell that can be used for various purposes like encrypting and signing documents, authenticating users and devices, or securing communications.

Now that we know how to create a self-signed SSL certificate in Powershell let us discuss why people do it.

What is Needed for Self-Signing SSL Certificates in Powershell?

Here are the things that are needed to create a self-signed certificate in PowerShell:

● Administrator Privileges

Administrator privileges are required because the process involves editing the system’s certificate store and configuring the server’s SSL settings. A PowerShell administrator has the ability to run commands that change the system’s settings and configurations, such as creating and installing a self-signed SSL certificate.

● PowerShell

PowerShell must be installed on your computer. It includes a command-line interface for process automation and scripting. Also, it supports advanced configurations and simple integration with other automation processes as well as automating the process of binding the certificate to the web server and clients connecting to the server trusting the certificate.

● Information about the Certificate

To correctly identify the certificate and make sure it can be used for secure connections, you will need to know its domain name system (DNS), thumbprint, and storage location. A certificate’s authenticity can be verified using this information. The entity to which it is issued is identified through the DNS. Clients use the information in the certificate to confirm the server’s identification and ensure they are connected to the correct server. A certificate’s thumbprint is used to both locate it in the certificate store and verify its authenticity.

● File Path

The exported certificate can be in different formats, such as .pfx or .cer, and it can be saved in any location. While saving the self-signed certificate as a file, you will have to specify the file path. This will make sure that the accessibility to the exported certificate is quick and is used for establishing secure connections. Thus, you will need to know about the file path.

● Password

For the exported certificate, you will need to set a password for importing the certificate into other systems. This ensures that only authorized individuals can import and use the certificate. The same password will also be used to decrypt the private key, ensuring that the private key can only be used by the intended recipients.

● Import Command

If you want to trust a certificate on the local machine, you will need to import it into the Trusted Root Certification Authorities store. The Import-Certificate command is a PowerShell command that can be used to import a certificate into the certificate store on the local machine.

When you import a certificate into the Trusted Root Certification Authorities store, it means that the certificate is considered to be trusted by the system, and any certificate that is issued by this trusted root can also be considered trusted.

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Creating a self-signed SSL certificate in PowerShell is a cost-effective way of creating digital certificates for keeping all communications and data encrypted and safe. We hope the steps above help you create a self-signed SSL in Powershell. That said, always remember that a self-signed certificate is not trusted by default and might require additional configuration for them to be trusted by external parties. Read our another new guide on How to Sign a PowerShell Script Using Code Signing Certificate.