How do I find the certificate on my computer?

If you can no longer find your certificate file or if your computer crashed completely without backup copies, you can no longer submit your tax return with your personal certificate.

To find your certificate on a Windows PC:

• Enter "*.pfx" (without quotation marks) in the search box on the taskbar of your desktop and press [Enter].
• The certificate is saved with the extension "*.pfx". You will not find this file format a second time on your computer.
• Your computer scans the hard disk for the certificate file. This may take several minutes, depending on the memory used.
• The certificate is then displayed in the search results if it is stored on the hard disk. If it is no longer on your hard disk, you can find help in this guide.

That is how you receive a new certificate file:

If you have definitely lost your certificate file, you will need to renew your access to your Elster user account. New activation data will then be sent to you and you will receive completely new access data at the end, similar to registration. For the security of your data, you will receive an activation ID by e-mail and a separate activation code by post. Please note that the delivery of the activation code may take several days.

During the access renewal process, you also have the option of revoking the lost certificate. The revocation deactivates access to your user account. After completing the access renewal, you will receive a new certificate by entering the activation data with which a login is then possible again. The revoked certificate remains revoked and cannot be reactivated.