How to read a .P7C file online
Three steps, a few seconds.
Open your .P7C file
Drop it on the box or click to choose it. A bundle holding several certificates is split for you automatically.
Unlock if needed
A password-protected file asks for its export password. It is used only to unlock the file.
Check the details
Read the chain from your certificate up to the root, see every domain it covers, when it expires and copy its SHA-256 fingerprints.
What is a .P7C file?
What's inside .crt, .pem and .p12 files, in plain words.
A P7C file is a PKCS#7 certificate bundle containing one or more digital certificates (public keys only, no private key). On Windows, double-click to open the Certificate Import Wizard. On Mac, double-click to import into Keychain Access. It is not a document and cannot be opened in a PDF viewer or text editor.
Programs that open .P7C files
| Full name | PKCS#7 Certificate File |
|---|---|
| Developer | RSA Laboratories (PKCS standard); standardized by IETF as RFC 2315 → RFC 5652 (CMS) |
| First released | 1993 (PKCS#7 v1.5 by RSA Laboratories; RFC 2315 published 1998) |
| Category | Data & Other |
| MIME type | application/pkcs7-mime |
| Signature | 30 82 (ASN.1 DER SEQUENCE tag + length (BER/DER encoding)) |
Related viewers
Other free tools to open and preview your files.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to open my .P7C file here?
Yes. Certificates are public by design, and decoding and signature checks run with the Web Crypto API.
What does “chain verified” mean?
Each certificate is signed by the one above it. The viewer checks those signatures mathematically, so you can see whether your server certificate, intermediate and root actually belong together - the most common cause of “incomplete chain” errors.
My .p12 / .pfx asks for a password. Which one?
The password chosen when the file was exported (for example from Windows, a browser or your CA's portal). Some files have an empty password - try leaving the field blank.
Why don't you show my private key?
A private key is the secret half of the certificate. Anyone who sees it can impersonate you, so the viewer only tells you that a key is present and what type and size it is.
Can it check if a certificate is revoked?
Not yet. Revocation (OCSP/CRL) needs to contact the certificate authority, which we keep for the server-side version of this tool.
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