Using OpenPGP with Kleopatra

Install Kleopatra. It is available from most Linux package managers. For Windows users, Kleopatra is included in the GPG4win suite of tools. Not available on MacOS.

Generate a keypair

Generate a new cryptographic key by clicking on File > New Key Pair.

Choose Create a personal OpenPGP key pair.

Follow the instructions. It is recommended to protect the key with a strong passphrase.

Your fingerprint will appear when the key pair has been successfully created. You can always find it again by going to the Certificates tab and double clicking on your key.

A Key-ID is not the same thing as a fingerprint! Keyoxide guides will usually require you to ented the fingerprint, not the Key-ID.

Distributing via keys.openpgp.org

Your new OpenPGP keypair is stored locally on your computer — both the private key and the public key. To make your public key available to others, you need to upload it to a so-called keyserver. Keyoxide recommends keys.openpgp.org for this purpose.

Go to Settings > Configure Kleopatra and change the OpenPGP keyserver to:

hkps://keys.openpgp.org 

Go to the Certificates tab, right click on your key and choose Publish on Server. Follow the instructions.

Distributing via a WKD server

You will need to export your public key. Go to the Certificates tab, right click on your key and choose Export. Follow the instructions.

Changing the key expiry date

Go to the Certificates tab, right click on your key and choose Change Expiry Date. Follow the instructions.

Obtaining the fingerprint

Go to the Certificates tab, locate and double-click on the correct key.

There is the fingerprint you are looking for.

Signing a document

Press the big Sign/Encrypt button in the top bar. Follow the instructions.

Verifying a signature

Press the big Sign/Encrypt button in the top bar. Follow the instructions.

Working with notations

Kleopatra does not support working with notations.

Content licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Last updated: 2024-06-08 09:53 UTC