Adobe Acrobat DC provides you with the ability to sign your PDF documents. Recently, the users have been facing an error while signing PDF documents using Acrobat DC. The error message says that the Windows Cryptographic Service provider has reported an error: Key does not exist. Error code: 2148073485.
If you are not familiar with the word Cryptographic Service Provider, then you should know that it is a software program that helps to encrypt documents like Word and Excel. It uses Smart Cards to do user authentication. But the error may or may not rise from Cryptographic Service Provider issues. There can be other reasons for this issue, and we are going to discuss solutions for each one of them.
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What causes the Windows Cryptographic Service provider error?
You should always look for the root of an error so that you can get rid of it perfectly. Here’s a list of problems that can give birth to the Windows Cryptographic Service provider error:
- When the requested hashing algorithm is not involved.
In recent versions, Acrobat DC has left out the silent fallback to SHA1 hashing. When the requested hashing algorithm by Adobe doesn’t work, the error comes up.
- Third-party software (mostly ePass2003)
- Outdated certificates
- Outdated Adobe Acrobat application
If you are one of the users that are facing this error, then continue reading for the solutions. And try them one by one.
How to solve the Windows Cryptographic Service provider error?
Solution 1: Update your Adobe Acrobat application
Whenever an application starts showing any error, then first check if it is updated or not. The updates can fix problems with the previous version. To update your Adobe Acrobat, choose the Help option. Then, type Check for updates. If any updates are available, download it and install the latest version. If the error comes up again, go to the next solution.
Solution 2: Licensed Adobe software
Sometimes if you are not using the licensed version of the Adobe Acrobat application, that can cause errors. So, go to Adobe Acrobat official page and check if you have the licensed version of the app. And if you were using an unlicensed version, you can also download the licensed version from that Adobe Acrobat official page.
Solution 3: Change the Signature
The Windows Cryptographic Service provider error comes up when you are signing a PDF document. So, you should try changing your signature to fix this error. It is a simple process. You can go to the Windows certificate and opt for creating a new Signature.
Solution 4: Outdated Certificates
The error can also arise due to some unnecessary certificates present on your Windows 10 computer. You can fix the error; you only have to remove those certificates. Follow these steps.
- Press Windows Key + R.
- Type “inetcpl.cpl.” and press OK.
- In the Content tab, find the problematic certificates.
- Select those certificates and choose to Close and click OK.
- Try signing the certificates and check for any error.
If the error continues, follow the next solution.
Solution 5: Fix the error with SafeNet Authentication Client Tools
You can use the SafeNet Authentication Client Tool to fix the error. You can use it to change the Cryptographic provider to CSP for the document you wanted to sign earlier, and couldn’t do because of the error. To do that you can follow these steps.
- First, to open the SafeNet Authentication Client Tool, go to its installation directory or right-click on the SafeNet icon in the system tray.
- Choose the “gear” icon to open the Advanced new section.
- Here, you can expand Tokens.
- Locate the User certificates group.
- Under this section, find the certificate that you want to sign.
- Right-click on that certificate and choose CSP.
- Now, close the SafeNet Authentication Client Tool window and try signing the certificate again.
If the error shows up, then try the next solution.
Solution 6: Uninstall ePass2003 software
Out of all the third-party applications, ePass2003 is the one that caused this error. If you have not installed ePass2003 on your computer, you can skip this solution.
- Navigate to Settings > Apps and features > ePass2003.
- Right-click on ePass2003 and choose the uninstall button.
- Once the app is uninstalled from your system, restart your computer.
- Download the ePass2003 again.
- While installing the application, choose the Microsoft CSP when you are prompted to choose the CSP option.
Check for the error and if it persists, go to the next solution.
Solution 7: Restart your Windows Cryptographic Service
To fix the error, you can restart your Windows Cryptographic Service. Follow these steps.
- Press Windows +R.
- Open the Run dialog box.
- Type “services.msc” and hit Enter.
- From here you can follow the on-screen instructions to restart the Windows Cryptographic Service.
Solution 8: Reinstall the Adobe Certificates
You can check for the certificates. Navigate to Internet Explorer > Tools > Internet Options > Content Tab > Adobe Certificates. If you find any problems here, reinstall the certificates and also, the user’s certificates.
Solution 9: Smart key or Active Key
If you do not have a Smart key or Active Key with a copy of your certificate, then you can skip this solution. In case you have a copy of your certificate on a Smart key or Active key, follow these steps to solve the Windows Cryptographic Service Provider error.
Insert the Smart key or Active key in your computer.
- Press Windows key +S.
- Search for the Control Panel tab.
- Find the User Accounts section in the Control Panel.
- Choose the Manage your file encryption certificates option.
- In the next window, choose the Next option.
- There select the Use this certificate option. Or Select Certificate button.
- You can see the Smart key or Active key.
- If the instruction says to log in, do it.
- Choose Next after the certificate gets loaded.
- Check the box besides All Logical Drives.
- Update the encrypted files.
- Now, select Next and after the updating is over, check for the error.
Solution 10: Using Registry Editor
If none of those mentioned above solutions worked for you, try changing the settings using a registry editor. Follow these steps.
- Press Windows key +R.
- Type “regedit” and press OK.
- Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareAdobeAdobe Acrobat11.0
- In the left pane, select the Security key and right-click on it to Export.
- Backup the old registry.
- Again right-click on the Security key and choose the Delete.
- When prompted, click on the Yes option.
- Restart your computer and check for the error.
Adobe Acrobat Reader provides you with the most advanced option to do e-signature on your PDF documents. It is a handy feature which is obstructed by the error. You need to fix the error if you want to enjoy the feature again and get back on track for your work.
We have provided the best possible solutions for you to try and fix the Windows Cryptographic Service Provider Error. The solutions are secure and can perform manually. We hope you get rid of the error and sign any document you want using the Adobe Acrobat. If you have any queries or feedback, please write down the comment in the below comment box.