Manage Trusted Contacts

Use trusted contacts to control access and permissions for PDF files.

A trusted contact is a user whose public key certificate you store. Nitro PDF Pro uses this certificate to validate digital signatures when you open a PDF.

Add contacts by importing their public key certificate. You can also exchange certificates by using the Request Contacts feature.

To open Trusted Contacts

1. On the Protect tab, in the Identification group, click Trusted Contacts
   1. The Manage Trusted Contacts dialog appears

To add a trusted contact

1. Open the Manage Trusted Contacts dialog
2. Click Add
3. Select the certificate file
4. Click Open

Note: To view certificate details, select a contact and click View. You can see the issuer and the validity period.

To export a contact certificate

1. Open the Manage Trusted Contacts dialog
2. Select a contact
3. Click Export
4. In the Save As dialog, enter a file name
5. Click Save

To share public key certificates

1. Open the Manage Trusted Contacts dialog
2. Select a contact
3. Click Request
   1. The Request Contacts dialog appears
4. Enter your contact details
5. Select Include my certificate in email
6. Select a certificate
7. Click Next
8. Enter the recipient’s email address
9. Review the message
10. Click Send

An email message opens in your default email application with the certificate attached. 

For network administrators

To import multiple certificates:

1. Collect the required public key files (.p7b)
2. Open certmgr.msc
3. Import the certificates into Nitro5Trust\Certificates

Note: You may need custom scripts to automate this process

Last updated: June 2026