Create your own digital certificate

Because a digital certificate you create yourself isn't issued by a formal certification authority, macro projects signed by using such a certificate are referred to as self-signed projects. Certificates you create yourself are considered unauthenticated and will generate a warning in the Security Warning box if the security level is set to High or Medium. Depending on how Microsoft Office digital-signature features are being used in your organization, you might be prevented from using such a certificate, and other users might not be able to run self-signed macros for security reasons.

To learn more about certification authorities that offer services for Microsoft products, see the Microsoft Security Advisor Web site.

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1. In Microsoft Windows Explorer, locate and double-click SelfCert.exe (usually found in the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10 folder).

   If the SelfCert.exe file is not on your computer, you might need to install it.

   How?

   1. Run the Microsoft Office Setup program again.

      How?

      1. Quit all programs.
      2. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Microsoft Windows Control Panel.
      3. Do one of the following:

         For Microsoft Windows 2000 and Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition:

         • If you installed your Office program as part of Microsoft Office, click Microsoft Office in the Currently installed programs box, and then click the Change button.
         • If you installed your Office program individually, click the name of your program in the Currently installed programs box, and then click the Change button.

         For Microsoft Windows 98 and Microsoft Windows NT 4.0:

         • If you installed your Office program as part of Microsoft Office, click Microsoft Office on the Install/Uninstall tab, and then click the Add/Remove button.
         • If you installed your Office program individually, click the name of your program on the Install/Uninstall tab, and then click the Add/Remove button.
   2. On the Features to install screen in the setup program, click the expand indicator (+) next to Office Shared Features.
   3. Select Digital Signature for VBA projects, click the arrow next to your selection, and then click Run from My Computer.
2. Follow the instructions in the Create Digital Certificate dialog box.