## page was renamed from Gpg4win/Tutorials/CertificateCreation
= Create your own key pair

//This tutorial is for Gpg4win 4.0.3. For new versions this process may differ.//

If you want to start with encryption it is necessary to have your own pair of keys so that you have a private and a public key. Maybe you already have one but you need to import it. Then you can follow [[Gpg4win/Tutorials/RetrievePublicKeys#file_import|this section]] as it also works with your own key pair. The other way is to create your key pair and this way is shown in this tutorial.
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Sometimes the keys are also called "certificates" which is a term coming from the encryption via S/M~IME. For many users (and especially those who are unsure) encryption via OpenP~GP is the right way. Since Gpg4win/Kleopatra can handle both the certificates and the keys are called certificates in the program.

=== Create the key pair

* Click on **File** in the menu bar
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{{open_file_menu.png}}
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* Click on **New Key Pair...** in the menu
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* Click on **Create a personal OpenP~GP key pair**
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{{choose_key_type.png}}
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* In the next window enter your name and the email address the new keys will belong to.
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{{enter_email_name.png}}
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*  It is also recommended to set a password so activate the checkbox **Protect the generated key with a passphrase.**  **todo: make comment about the advanced questions of key algorithms and size, because many ask this**
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{{activate_password.png}}
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*  Click on **Create**
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{{create_key.png}}
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* A small window appears. Here you now have to enter a password/passphrase twice. **todo** How to get a passphrase, link recommendations for random creation.
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{{enter_password.png}}
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* Confirm with a click on **OK**. (**todo** Link other recommendations for passphrase handling, not just Please save your password for example with a password manager like Kee~Pass~XC because if you don't know your password you can't decrypt files and messages so you can't read them anymore.) **todo: passphrase in the screenshot must be a lot longer than 10 chars**
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{{confirm_password.png}}
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* Now you have two options:
## Click on **Finish**
## Or you go on with the next part of this tutorial (below: //Backup your key pair//) to backup your key pair so you don't forget it later.
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{{finish_key_creation.png}}
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=== Backup your key pair
**todo** link general recommendation about backups and the section where to backup

It's great that you chose to backup your keys now because if you didn't maybe you would forget it and if you loose your keys you can never read messages that were encrypted by these keys again.

* Click on the option **Make a Backup Of Your Key Pair...**
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{{choose_backup.png}}
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* The file explorer will be opened. Here you can choose a folder where your backup will be saved (The place you save the keys to should be on a different device than you normally use e.g. an external hard drive). Then click on **Save**.
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* Enter the password/passphrase that you chose when you created the key pair...
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{{enter_password_for_backup.png}}
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* ... and click on **OK**
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* The next window explains that the backup was successfully. Confirm with **OK**.
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{{backup_complete.png}}
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**Congratulations! You created and backed up your own key pair.**