To View Digital Signature Information

Control Display of Digital Signature Status

  1. Click Tools menu Options.
  2. In the Options dialog box, Open and Save tab, select or clear Display Digital Signature Information (SIGWARN system variable):
    • If Display Digital Signature Information is selection and you open a file with a valid signature, the digital signature status is displayed.
    • If Display Digital Signature Information is not selected and you open a file, the digital signature status is displayed only if the signature is invalid.

Validate a Signature in Windows Explorer

  1. In Windows Explorer, locate a file whose digital signature you want to check. Signed files are displayed with the Digital Signatures icon.

    Some operating systems display a modified icon for a drawing that has a valid digital signature attached.

  2. Right-click the file name. Click Properties.
  3. In the Properties dialog box, if the file contains a digital signature, the Digital Signature tab is displayed. Click the Digital Signatures tab to view the digital signature details.

    A Valid Signature icon is displayed if a digital signature is valid, and an Invalid Signature icon is displayed if the digital signature is not valid.

  4. In the Other Fields list, select an option from the list to view details of the digital signature, such as the issuer, description, and expiration date of the digital ID. You can also view the time stamp and time service.

Validate a Signature Using the Validate Digital Signatures Icon

  1. Open a signed file.
  2. On the status bar, click the Validate Digital Signatures icon.
  3. In the Validate Digital Signatures dialog box, if the file has a valid digital signature, click View Base Signature.

    The Digital Signature Contents dialog box displays details of the digital signature such as the signer, expiration date of the digital ID, serial number, comments about the digital signature, time stamp, and time service.

  4. Click Close.
  5. If the file contains an external reference (xref) that contains a digital signature, select View Xref Drawings in the Validate Digital Signatures dialog box. Click View Xref Signature to view the external references associated with the file.

Toggle the Display of the Digital Signatures Icon in Windows Explorer

  1. In Windows Explorer, locate a file that has a digital signature icon.
  2. Right-click the file name. Click Enable/Disable Digital Signature Icons.
  3. Click the check box next to Validate Digital Signatures and Display Special Icons to turn on the icon display in Windows Explorer, or clear the check box to turn off the icon display.
  4. Click OK. Log out of Windows, and then log back in.