PrivateKey object

[The PrivateKey object is available for use in the operating systems specified in the Requirements section. Instead, use the X509Certificate2.PrivateKey Property in the System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates namespace.]

The PrivateKey object represents the private key associated with a certificate.

When to use

The PrivateKey object is used to perform the following tasks:

The PrivateKey object has these types of members:

The PrivateKey object has these methods.

Method	Description
Delete	Deletes the private key container referenced by the PrivateKey object.
IsAccessible	Retrieves a Boolean value that indicates whether the private key is accessible by the user. If true, the user can access the private key.
IsExportable	Retrieves a Boolean value that indicates whether the private key can be exported. If true, the private key can be exported.
IsHardwareDevice	Retrieves a Boolean value that indicates whether the private key is stored on a hardware device. If true, the private key is stored on a hardware device.
IsMachineKeyset	Retrieves a Boolean value that indicates whether the private key is a machine key. If true, the private key is a machine key.
IsProtected	Retrieves a Boolean value that indicates whether the private key is protected. If true, the private key is protected.
IsRemovable	Retrieves a Boolean value that indicates whether the private key is on a removable device. If true, the private key is on a removable device.
Open	Accesses an existing key container.

The PrivateKey object has these properties.

Property	Access type	Description
ContainerName	Read-only	Retrieves a string that contains the private key container name. This is the default property.
KeySpec	Read-only	Retrieves the key specification.
ProviderName	Read-only	Retrieves a string that contains the name of the CSP.
ProviderType	Read-only	Retrieves an enumeration value that specifies the type of provider.
UniqueContainerName	Read-only	Retrieves a string that contains the unique private key container name.

The PrivateKey object can be created, and it is safe for scripting. The ProgID for the PrivateKey object is CAPICOM.PrivateKey.1.

Requirement	Value
Redistributable	CAPICOM 2.0 or later on Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP
DLL	Capicom.dll