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Distribute certificates to Windows devices by using Group Policy

You can distribute certificates that chain to a trusted root in an Active Directory domain to Windows devices by using Group Policy.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you need:

  • A certificate with the private key. If you need to export a certificate, see Export a certificate with its private key.

  • An Active Directory domain controller with the Group Policy Management snap-in installed, or a device with Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) installed that can connect to a domain controller.

  • An Active Directory domain with an account that is a member of the Domain Admins or Enterprise Admins domain security group. For more information about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships, see Local and Domain Default Groups.

Import certificates to Group Policy

  1. On a domain controller or device with RSAT installed, start the Group Policy Management snap-in.

  2. Find an existing Group Policy Object (GPO) or create a new GPO for the certificate settings. Ensure that the GPO is associated with the domain, site, or organizational unit (OU) where the appropriate user and computer accounts reside.

  3. Right-click the GPO, then select Edit.

  4. In the console tree, open Computer Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Public Key Policies, right-click the store you want to import the certificate to, such as Trusted Root Certification Authorities, then select Import.

  5. On the screen Welcome to the Certificate Import Wizard, select Next.

  6. For File to Import, enter or browse to the path to the appropriate certificate files, for example \\fs1\c$\fs1.cer, then select Next.

  7. For Private key protection, enter the password for the private key and select Include all extended properties, then select Next.

  8. For Certificate Store, select Place all certificates in the following store and browse to the certificate store you want to store the certificate, then select Next.

  9. Review the summary, then select Finish.

  10. Once you import the certificate, apply the policy to your devices, then restart them for the settings to take effect.