Home How-to How to Check Digital Certificates on Computer and iPhone

How to Check Digital Certificates on Computer and iPhone

How to view digital certificates in safari chrome firefox opera and iphone

There are two simple ways to ensure that things are safe quickly, and the website uses encryption with a certificate. First is the presence of a closed padlock icon in the URL bar, and the second is the beginning of the URL as HTTPS instead of HTTP.

Keep data safe. It is vital to ensure that the site you visit transmits your data securely or not. When you view a website’s Certificate, you come to know about the ownership and whether it is secure to transfer your data through this site or not. So if you are looking to view a website’s Certificate, here are easy steps to do so on Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and even iPhone.

What Details are in a Digital Certificate?

  • Who issued the certificate? It may be VeriSign, DigiCert, GlobalSign, or Thawte. These are the companies that, after due process, determined the validity, trustworthiness, and related credibility of the website.
  • To whom the certificate is issued? It is the website owner or organization to whom the certificate belongs. Ensure it matches the name of the website or the parent company or the name you expect when you visit that site.

The expiration date of the Certificate: This is mostly one to two years, but sometimes it can be longer than this.

How to View Digital Certificate in Safari

Step #1. Inside Safari on Mac, open the website whose certificate you wish to see.

Step #2. In the address bar, click on the padlock icon that is at the start of the URL.

Click on Padlock icon in Safari on Mac

Step #3. Click on Show Certificate from the small pop-up.

Click on Show Certificate in Safari on Mac

Step #4. Here you will see the certificate information as a summary. You may click on Trust and Details to expand and view the complete certificate.

Click on Trust and Details to View Digital Certificate in Safari on Mac
Check Complete Digital Certificate of Website in Safari

How to View Digital Certificate in Chrome

Step #1. Open the website in Chrome.

Step #2. Click on the small padlock from the left of the URL.

Click on padlock in google chrome on mac

Step #3. Click on Certificate (Valid) from the small dropdown pop-up.

Click on Certificate from Drop Down Menu in Chrome on Mac

Step #4. Here you have a summary of the certificate information. Click on Details to view the entire certificate. You may scroll down to see everything.

Click on Details to View Digital Certificate in Chrome
See Complete Certificate of Website in Chrome

Use Developer Tools to View Digital Certificate in Chrome

In addition to the above method, you can also use developer tools menu to view the certificate.

Step #1. Place your mouse pointer, preferably on an empty place on the website and right-click. Now, Click on Inspect.

Right Click and Select Inspect in Chrome on Mac

Step #2. Click on Security.

Note: If you do not see the Security tab, place your mouse pointer on the boundary of this pop-up and drag it to the left to increase the size. You may also click on the small double arrow and then click ‘Security.

Step #3. Click on View certificate.

Select Security and Click on View Certificate in Google Chrome on Mac

Note: If you are running Chrome on Mac, in Step #1, you may click on View from top menu bar → DeveloperDeveloper ToolsSecurityView certificate.

Click on View and Select Developer and Click on Developer Tools in Google Chrome on Mac
Select Security and Click on View Certificate in Google Chrome on Mac

How to View Digital Certificate in Firefox

Firefox also lets you quickly view the certificate of the site you are visiting.

Step #1. Ensure you have opened the website in Firefox.

Step #2. Click on the padlock.

Click on Padlock icon in Firefox on Mac

Step #3. Next, click on the arrow next to the words ‘Connection secure.’

Click on Connection secure Option in Mac Firefox

Step #4. Here you will see a few details. Click on More Information.

Choose More Information to Check Certificate in Firefox

Step #5. A separate window opens that has many details. Click on View Certificate. It will open in a new tab with the website’s certificate details.

Get Website's Digital Certificate in Firefox on Mac

Click on View Digital Certificate in Firefox on Mac

View All Certificates Inside Firefox

Step #1. Inside Firefox, click on three horizontal lines icon from the top right.

Step #2. Click on Preferences. It will open in a new tab.

Click on Preferences in Firefox on Mac

Step #3. Now click Privacy & Security.

Click on Privacy and Security in Firefox Preferences on Mac

Step #4. Scroll down and under Certificates, click on View Certificates…

Click on View Certificates in Firefox

Step #5. Now from this pop-up double click on any certificate to open all its details.

Here You can View All Certificates in Firefox
Double Click on Certificate to View Details in Firefox on Mac

How to View Digital Certificate in Opera

Finally, let us see how to view certificates in Opera browser

Step #1. Open the website inside Opera browser.

Step #2. Click on the green padlock from the right of the URL.

Click on Green Padlock icon in Opera on Mac

Step #3. Click on Certificate (Valid).

Click on Certificate in Opera on Mac

Step #4. Here, if you are looking for more info, you may click on Details.

Click on Details to View Digital Certificate in Opera
Get The Details of Digital Certificate in Opera on Mac

How to View Certificate on iPhone

It was easy and straightforward to see certificates on the computer version of Safari, Chrome, and other browsers. But, doing so on the iPhone is a bit complex. When you tap on the padlock icon in Safari (or Chrome) on your iPhone, it opens up the keyboard instead of showing the certificate. But we have a solution.

Step #1. Open App Store and download TLS Inspector.

Step #2. Launch this app and tap Understood.

Tap on Open and Then Tap Understood to Launch TLS Inspector on iPhone

Step #3. Here you can input the website address and quickly view the certificates.

Add Website to View Certificate on iPhone

Alternatively, you can also use TLS Inspector extension inside Chrome or Safari to see the certificate there. You do not need to open this app. Read on.

How to See Certificate on iPhone in Safari

Step #1. Follow Step #1 and Step #2 above.

Step #2. Launch Safari and open the website.

Step #3. Tap on the share icon.

Tap on Share in Safari App on iPhone

Step #4. Tap Show Certificate or Certificate.

Tap on Show Certificate to View Certificate on iPhone

There you go!

How to Check Certificate on iPhone in Chrome

In Chrome, you can see a concise summary without needing any other app. You can see whether the connection is secure or not by following the steps below.

Step #1. Open the website in Chrome on your iPhone.

Step #2. Tap three dots iconSite Information. In a small pop-up you can see the relevant information in brief.

Tap on Three Dots and Select Site Information in Google Chrome on iPhone

To view the full certificate in Chrome, follow Step #1 and Step #2 under ‘How to view Certificates on iPhone.’ Next, tap on the share icon that is in the Chrome URL bar. Finally, tap Show Certificate or Certificate.

Tap on Share and Select Show Certificate in Chrome App on iPhone

Signing off…

This is how you can view certificates inside various browsers. I also showed you how to do so on an iOS device. I hope this post was helpful to you. Kindly share what you feel in the comments down below. If you have additional ways, let us know that too.

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