If you see a ‘Recoverable Signature’ error in Microsoft Word, read this post to learn how to fix the issue. A digital signature is used to validate a Word document. It signifies that the document has not been altered after being signed and verifies that it originated from the person or entity who signed it. However, if there’s something wrong with the signature, Word may mark it as valid, invalid, or ‘recoverable’.
A recoverable signature error occurs if the digital certificate used to create the document has expired or has no time stamp, the certificate authority (CA) is not trusted by the system, the verifier is disconnected from the internet, or the system lacks the necessary root certificates to validate the signature. The error is often accompanied by a message that reads:
Recoverable Signature – The signer’s certificate can’t be verified, please try again later or check your internet connection.
Or
Recoverable Signature – A trust decision has not been made for the signer’s certificate. Your helpdesk should know what to do.
If you’re struggling with the same recoverable signature error, read this post for effective troubleshooting tips.
Fix Recoverable Signature error in Word
To fix the Recoverable Signature error in Microsoft Word on your Windows 11/10 PC, use these solutions:
- Add the signer’s identity to the trusted list
- Move the certificate to the Trusted People group
- Check if the certificate has expired
- Check for a missing CRL distribution point
- Reinstall or Repair Office
Let us see this in detail.
1] Add the signer’s identity to the trusted list
Double-click the signature line with the red text ‘Recoverable Signature’. In the Signature Details dialogue, click the link that reads ‘Click here to trust this user’s identity‘. This should change the signature’s status from recoverable to valid.
Note: When you add the signer’s identity to the trusted list this way, you explicitly tell Word to trust the signer who applied the digital signature, even if the certificate doesn’t have a complete trust chain. This is an application-level trust setting, which means other programs on your system may still treat the certificate as untrusted unless configured separately.
2] Move the certificate to the Trusted People group
If the link doesn’t seem to work, you can manually import the certificate to the Trusted People group using the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) console.
Note: Certificates in the Trusted People group are trusted by all programs on a computer that rely on Windows for certificate validation. This is a system-wide trust setting.
To manually import the digital certificate to the trusted list, follow these steps:
Press Win + R. Type ‘mmc‘ in the Run dialogue and press Enter. Click Yes in the User Account Control prompt.
This will open the MMC window. Go to the File menu and select Add/Remove Snap-in….
Another window will appear. Select Certificates under Available Snap-ins and click the Add button.
In the next window, select Computer account > Next > Local computer: (the computer this console is running on) > Finish.
Now back to the MMC window, navigate to the Personal folder and select Certificates. The folder content will appear in the right panel. Right-click the digital certificate in the list and select Copy.
Next, navigate to Trusted People > Certificates and paste the copied certificate in the right panel.
Close the MMC window and see if the error disappears.
3] Check if the certificate has expired
The recoverable signature error can also occur if the document was signed using a digital certificate that was valid and trusted at the time of signing but has now expired.
So even if a certificate has expired, you can still use it to validate signatures created during its validity period if the following conditions are met:
- The certificate is trusted and hasn’t been revoked
- The certificate includes a timestamp or verification data to confirm that the signature was created while it was valid.
To fix this, you need to find the expired certificate that was originally used to sign the document and manually import it into the trusted certificate store on your system (as explained in the previous solution).
This will allow the system to recognize and trust the expired certificate when validating the signature on the document.
4] Check for a missing CRL distribution point
CRL stands for Certificate Revocation List. It is a list published by a Certificate Authority (CA) containing all certificates that have been revoked (made invalid) before their expiration date.
The CRL distribution point is a field in a digital certificate that specifies the location where the CRL can be found. It points to its issuer’s (Root CA’s) CRL. Word uses this information to verify whether the certificate is still valid. Without a CRL distribution point, Word assumes the certificate cannot be trusted (even if it is technically valid) since it can’t be checked for revocation.
To fix this, ensure that a CRL distribution point was included in the certificate that was used to sign the document.
If there’s a chain of certificates (such as a Root CA and some end-user certificates), make sure:
- The CRL distribution point is present in the issued certificates, not in the issuer’s (CA’s) certificate.
- If an intermediate CA is used, two CRLs must be maintained and specified: One for the certificates issued by the Root CA and another for certificates issued by the intermediate CA.
5] Reinstall or Repair Office
If nothing seems to work, try repairing your Office installation. If the error persists, uninstall Microsoft Office and go for a fresh install of Office again.
I hope this helps.
Read: Signature Line greyed out in Word or Excel.
What is a Recoverable signature Word?
A recoverable signature in Word is a digital signature that isn’t valid due to issues like incorrect system settings or missing certificates. However, rectifying these errors and restoring the signature’s validity may be possible by updating your system, reinstalling necessary certificates, or adjusting specific settings.
How do I enable signature in Word?
Open the Word document and place the cursor where you’d like to insert the signature. Go to the Insert tab and click Signature Line > Microsoft Office Signature Line. Fill in the required details and click OK. Next, double-click the signature line, select your digital certificate (or create a new one) and click Sign. Save the signed document to finalize it.
Read Next: How to Electronically Sign a Document in Windows PC.
