Signing Windows RDP Files with a Self-Signed Certificate (1-1. Creating the Certificate)

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 19:20:00 +0900

Opening a Windows .rdp file can display a security warning asking you to verify the publisher of the remote connection.

This article creates a self-signed certificate for RDP file signing with PowerShell, exports the public certificate as a .cer file, and saves a private-key backup as a .pfx file.

Because the complete procedure is long, it is divided into two articles:

This article: Create and back up the RDP signing certificate
1-2. Signing the RDP file: rdpsign, Group Policy, and a drag-and-drop batch file

RDP file signing and the RDP server TLS certificate are different

The certificate created here identifies the publisher of the .rdp file itself.

Certificate on No Subject - nosubject.io -

Signing Windows RDP Files with a Self-Signed Certificate (1-1. Creating the Certificate)

RDP file signing and the RDP server TLS certificate are different