(Excel) Import a PFX/P12 into the Windows Certificate Stores

Demonstrates how to import the certificates contained in a .pfx/.p12 to the Windows certificate stores.

Download Excel Class Modules Chilkat Excel Class Modules

Dim primaryCert As Chilkat.Cert
Set primaryCert = Chilkat.NewCert

' Load a PFX file into a certificate object.
' The cert object will contain the certificate from the PFX that has a private key.
' The certs in the chain of authentication (if contained in the PFX) are also loaded,
' and can be accessed by getting the certificate chain (see below).
' If the PFX did not include the issuer certs in the chain of authentication, then Chilkat will
' automatically try to construct the issuer chain from the CA and intermedicate CA certs
' already installed on the Windows system.

pfxPassword = "myPfxPassword"

success = primaryCert.LoadPfxFile("qa_data/pfx/somePfx.p12",pfxPassword)
If (success = False) Then
    Debug.Print primaryCert.LastErrorText
    Exit Sub
End If


Set certChain = primaryCert.GetCertChain()
If (primaryCert.LastMethodSuccess = False) Then
    Debug.Print primaryCert.LastErrorText
    Exit Sub
End If

' If the certificate chain reaches the root CA cert, then the last cert in the chain
' is the root CA cert.

chainReachesRoot = certChain.ReachesRoot
If (chainReachesRoot = True) Then
    Debug.Print "The certificate chain reaches the root CA cert."
End If


i = 0

numCerts = certChain.NumCerts
Do While i < numCerts
    Set cert = certChain.GetCert(i)
    Debug.Print "SubjectDN "; i; ": "; cert.SubjectDN
    Debug.Print "IssuerDN "; i; ": "; cert.IssuerDN
    Debug.Print "--"

    i = i + 1
Loop

' The primary cert having the private key will be imported into the Current User "My" certificate store.
' Any intermediate root certificates will be imported into certificate store for intermediate certificate authorities.
' The root CA cert will be imported into the Root CA cert store.

' Let's open each of these 3 certificate stores..
Dim certStoreCU As Chilkat.CertStore
Set certStoreCU = Chilkat.NewCertStore
Dim certStoreCA As Chilkat.CertStore
Set certStoreCA = Chilkat.NewCertStore
Dim certStoreRootCA As Chilkat.CertStore
Set certStoreRootCA = Chilkat.NewCertStore

readOnlyFlag = False

' "CurrentUser" and "My" are the exact keywords to select your user account's certificate store.
success = certStoreCU.OpenWindowsStore("CurrentUser","My",readOnlyFlag)
If (success = False) Then
    Debug.Print "Failed to open the CurrentUser/My certificate store for read/write."

    Exit Sub
End If

' Certificate store for intermediate certification authorities (CAs). 
success = certStoreCA.OpenWindowsStore("CurrentUser","CertificationAuthority",readOnlyFlag)
If (success = False) Then
    Debug.Print "Failed to open the CurrentUser/CertificationAuthority certificate store for read/write."

    Exit Sub
End If

' Certificate store for trusted root certification authorities (CAs). 
success = certStoreRootCA.OpenWindowsStore("CurrentUser","Root",readOnlyFlag)
If (success = False) Then
    Debug.Print "Failed to open the CurrentUser/Root certificate store for read/write."

    Exit Sub
End If

' Iterate over the certs in the chain and import each into the desired certificate store.

allSuccess = True
i = 0
Do While i < numCerts
    Set cert = certChain.GetCert(i)
    If (i = 0) Then
        ' Import the primary certificate into the CurrentUser/My certificate store.
        success = certStoreCU.AddCertificate(cert)
        If (success = False) Then
            Debug.Print certStoreCU.LastErrorText
            allSuccess = False
        End If

    Else
        If ((i = (numCerts - 1)) And (chainReachesRoot = True)) Then
            ' Add the root CA certificate to the CurrentUser/Root certificate store.
            ' (Your application can obviously choose whether this should be done or not.  Perhaps you prompt the user.)

            ' Note: If the root CA cert is already present in the Windows certificate store, Windows will display
            ' a dialog to ask if it should be deleted.  Chilkat does not explicitly display dialogs.
            success = certStoreRootCA.AddCertificate(cert)
            If (success = False) Then
                Debug.Print certStoreRootCA.LastErrorText
                allSuccess = False
            End If

        Else
            ' This is an intermediate CA certificate.
            success = certStoreCA.AddCertificate(cert)
            If (success = False) Then
                Debug.Print certStoreCA.LastErrorText
                allSuccess = False
            End If

        End If

    End If

    If (success = False) Then
        Debug.Print "Failed to import certificate."
    End If

    i = i + 1
Loop

Debug.Print "allSuccess = "; allSuccess