Transferring Digital Signatures Between Laptops

[ConnemaraPony]

Hello,

I have 2 questions please.  On my old laptop (Dell Vostro with Windows 7) I have Acrobat X Standard which I used to merge and digitally sign pdfs.  I want to buy the most inexpensive software which will allow me to do the same on my new laptop (Dell Inspiron with Widows 10).  So my questions are:

(1) Which Adobe software should I buy

(2) Where can I find and how can I transfer the signatures from the old to the new laptops. I had an image of my signature in cursive writing which I used alongside the digital signature.

Thank you

[ConnemaraPony]

Can I have help please with this query?

tx

[Bernd Alheit]

(1) Acrobat DC Standard

[ConnemaraPony]

Thank you Bernd.

[try67]

[Edited: See below]

[cdwaynem]

I am transitioning to a new MacBook. I have saved the exported Digital ID in all 3 available formats  (.cer  .fdf  and .p7c) but the Add ID process on the new Macbook will not recognize/select any of those formats. What am I missing? 

[Bernd Alheit]

You must use the files with .p12 or .pfx extension.

[darren.davis@consortium.com.au]

Adobe Reader DC won't export as .p12 or .pfx

It exports as .p7c

This is so frustrating. Why does adobe reader export in a different format to the import in DC?

[Bernd Alheit]

You have exported the public key.

[PMpaper · Accepted solution]

The answer marked as correct here only caused frustration, and I discovered it's easier to either find the correct file on your original laptop or just create a new signature.

As others noted, Adobe only lets you export in .cer, .fdf or .p7c formats, but you need .p12 or .pfx to send it to your new computer. If you originally created the signature as a  PKCS#12 file, then it should be easy to find that .pfx file in this location on Windows:

Local Disk>Users>username>AppData>Roaming>Adobe>Acrobat>DC>Security

Once that file is transferred, then use the Add ID function

In my case using Reader DC, the signature was originally created through the Windows Certificate Store, which left a file with no extension called "reader_fss_signature_initials" in the same location above. I could not figure out any way to export this file as a .pfx, even trying to reach it through the Windows certificate manager. After spending far too much time on this, it was easier to just create a new signature.

[Juan22195964lrpp]

Thank you. The same thing happened to me. I spend to much time trying to export my Windows digital ID to another computer following the tutorials export and import and not finding the .p12 or .pfx files. 

[try67]

You're right. My reply above was incorrect. The Export command only generates a public key, used to validate existing signatures, not to transfer the signature profile from one computer to another. I'm marked your answer as the correct one and un-marked mine as correct.

[Juan22195964lrpp]

Thank you for all your help. 

I found a way to get around this issue. So I wanted to export my "Windows Digital ID" that I drew so nice and neat on my windows surface. So what I did I took a screenshot of my signature and configure my "WD ID" on my desktop and inserted the screenshoot and that was it. 2 minutes I was done. I spent two hours researching and trying the import / export option which did not work. I hope this help to others.

[johnb51787706]

Thank you!

John

[robertw78002651]

I use a pdf form to collect and send information to and from others working on a project. Users digitally sign the section they have completed. This locks entries in the fields in their section of the document. Occasionally someone (including me) must re-edit a section they have previously signed. I have found clearing the signature is possible only if I am using the same computer I used to sign originally. If sign on my laptop, and later open the document on my desktop computer instead, the Clear Signature option does not appear when I right click. I suspect this is because the Windows digital signatures I have created on the two computers are not identical. 

I don't see that anyone in this discussion has yet answered the question: how can I transfer my signature from one of my computers to the other? Thanks,

[try67]

It depends. Did you select to save the signature as a local file on your computer?

If so, it should be a .pfx file located under the following folder (this is for a Windows machine):

C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\Security

If you copy that file to the same folder on another machine then you would have access to the same signature profile there as well.

[robertw78002651]

I don't see a pfx file in that folder. How do I save it?

[try67]

In that case you probably created the signature as a certificate in the OS, and it would be more difficult to transfer it.