How to Fix Recoverable Signature error in Word

This guide will teach you how to fix the 'Recoverable Signature' error that appears in Microsoft Word. Word documents can be digitally signed to ensure their authenticity. A document's authenticity and the fact that it has not been changed after signing are both confirmed by this symbol. Word may indicate the signature's validity, invalidity, or recoverability based on any issues it finds.

A recoverable signature error can occur under the following conditions: the digital certificate used to sign the document has expired or is not time stamped; the system does not trust the CA; the verifier is not connected to the internet; or the system lacks the root certificates required for signature verification. Also accompanying the error is usually a notice that says:

Please check your internet connection or try again later; we were unable to verify the signer's certificate. This is a recoverable signature.

Or

Recoverable Signature: The certificate of the signer has not been decided upon for trust. They should be able to assist you with this.

Following are some effective ways to fix the recoverable signature mistake if you're facing it too.

Correct the Word issue with recoverable signatures.

If you are using Microsoft Word on a Windows 11 or 10 computer and facing the Recoverable Signature issue, then here are some fixes you can try:

Ensure the signer's identity is added to the list of trusted people.

Place the certificate under the category "Trusted People."

Check the expiration date of the certificate.

Find any missing CRL distribution points

Update or Reinstall Office

Pay close attention here.

1.add the signer's name to the list of people you trust.

To recover a signature, double-click the "Recoverable Signature" line. In the Signature Details dialogue select "Click here to trust this user's identity". The validity of the signature should now be upgraded from recoverable to valid.

Keep in mind that by adding someone's identity to the trusted list in this manner, Word will respect the creator's authority of the digital signature, whether or not the certificate has a full trust chain. Also, because this is an application-level trust setting, all other programs on your system may still treat the certificate as suspicious until they, too, are explicitly told otherwise.

2. Add the certificate into the list of accepted users

If for whatever reason this link doesn't work you can manually import the certificate to the Trusted People group using the interface of MMC.

In such computers that uses Window for the verification of a Certificate, all its applications would have faith in certificates of the trusted People group. It means everyone operating on that particular system will have confidence on all others now.

To manually add the digital certificate to the list of trusted ones, the following procedures can be followed:

Hit Win + R. In the Run prompt, write "mmc" and press Enter. If User Account Control prompts for confirmation, click Yes.

A window will appear which is from MMC. On the File menu, click Add or Remove Snap-in.

An additional window will pop up. After finding the Available Snap-ins, choose Certificates, and then hit the Add button.

Next, choose Computer account. Then, go to the next page and pick Local computer. This is the computer this console is operating on. Finally, click Finish.

In the MMC window, click on the Personal folder in the left panel. You can see the contents of the folder in the right panel. Locate the digital certificate you want to copy and right-click on it.

Now, copy the certificate and paste it into the right panel under Trusted People > Certificates.

To check if the issue disappears, close the MMC window.

3. Check whether the certificate is valid.

Another situation where the recoverable signature issue may arise is that of the document signed by an individual who at the time used a digital certificate which, at the time, was trusted and valid but actually has expired.

Therefore, with some conditions fulfilled, it would be possible for an extended period for the certificate validity to ensure and confirm signatures created within it:

The certificate has neither expired nor been revoked.

A date or other verification data is included in the certificate to ensure that the signature was created during its valid period.

As mentioned in the preceding answer, you can repair this by manually importing the expired certificate that was used to sign the document into your system's trusted certificate store.

Because of this, the system will still be able to validate the signature on the document even though it says the certificate is expired.

4. Ensure the CRL distribution point is not empty.

In other words, the Certificate Revocation List, or CRL. Here a CA publishes a list of all the certificates that are no longer valid prior to its expiration date.

One field in a digital certificate that describes where the CRL can be retrieved is the CRL distribution point. The CRL of the issuer, Root CA, is referenced. In order to determine if the certificate is still valid, Word utilizes this information. Even though the certificate is valid in theory, Word will treat it as untrusted if there is no CRL distribution point so that it cannot be checked for revocation.

To fix this, ensure the signing certificate of the document includes a CRL distribution point.

Also, if there is a chain of certificates involved, such as a Root CA and end-user certificates,

It is the issued certificate that should include the CRL distribution point and not the one issued by its issuer. That is, the CA.

If the certificates are issued by both the Root CA and the intermediate CA, two CRLs are to be specified and maintained in case an intermediate CA is used.

5. Repair/Reinstall Windows

Repair your Office installation may be the subsequent step if that doesn't work out. If the problem persists, go ahead and uninstall Microsoft Office and reinstall it.

Well, that is where we are today. Wishing you all success and good luck. Until next time.