Mozilla VPN is currently experiencing an outage. Our team is actively working to resolve the issue. Please check the status page for real-time updates. Thank you for your patience.

This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Avatar for Username

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

This thread was archived. Please ask a new question if you need help.

Lost certificate

BlazB
BlazB
more options

Hello,

I had a private certificate (bank certificate) in mozilla firefox. My windows have crashed and I have put the disk onto another computer and I don't find that certificate. Will I be able to recover the certificate or have to order another one?

Thanks for reply

Blaz

Hello, I had a private certificate (bank certificate) in mozilla firefox. My windows have crashed and I have put the disk onto another computer and I don't find that certificate. Will I be able to recover the certificate or have to order another one? Thanks for reply Blaz

All Replies (1)

jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
  • Top 25 Contributor
more options

Hi Blaz, Firefox probably would have stored the certificate in a file named cert8.db in your active Firefox profile folder on the old drive. This is under a hidden path, so the first step is:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/show-hidden-files

And .db may be a hidden file extension, so:

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/how-to-show-file-extensions-in-windows/

Next, try to drill down here (assuming your old drive is "E"):

E:\Users\username\AppData\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles

In that folder, you might find one or multiple semi-randomly-named folders. Whichever one was updated last probably was your active profile folder. You can copy the latest cert8.db file to your desktop (or if you are using a USB flash drive, that device).

To replace a file in your currently live Firefox profile folder:

Open your profile folder using either

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Troubleshooting Information
  • (menu bar) Help > Troubleshooting Information
  • type or paste about:support in the address bar and press Enter

In the first table on the page, click the "Open Folder" button. This should launch a new window listing various files and folders in Windows Explorer.

Leaving that window open, switch back to Firefox and Exit, either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > "power" button
  • (menu bar) File > Exit

Pause while Firefox finishes its cleanup, then rename cert8.db to something like cert8-old.db. Then copy/paste the file from the desktop (or USB flash drive) into this folder.

Start Firefox back up again. Is your personal certificate present? You can check using the Options page:

  • Windows: "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Options
  • Mac: "3-bar" menu button (or Firefox menu) > Preferences
  • Linux: "3-bar" menu button (or Edit menu) > Preferences

In the left column, click Advanced. Then on the right side, with the "Certificates" mini-tab active, click the "View Certificates" button. It would be in the "Your Certificates" category.

Success?