PVK File

What are PVK files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a PVK file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your PVK files.

What is a PVK file?

A .PVK file is a PVK Private Key file.

PVK Private Key files store a private cryptographic key used for digital signing or encryption. These files are produced by Microsoft tools and CryptoAPI, and used in signing code or certificates, often alongside an SPC or CER file. They contain secret key data that should be kept secure.

When creating, Windows code-signing tools or CryptoAPI generate a PVK file. The file optionally encrypts the private key using RC4 plus a password. To use that key (for example to sign drivers or create a PFX file), tools like Pvk2Pfx convert the PVK plus its matching public certificate file (SPC or CER) into a PFX (PKCS#12) bundle, which then includes both private and public key material. OpenSSL can also read PVK files in order to export keys into other formats.

Internally, a PVK file starts with a header containing a magic number 0xB0B5F11E, followed by metadata: a reserved field, a key type, a flag indicating whether the key is encrypted, salt length if encrypted, and the length of the key blob. After that comes the optional salt, then a Microsoft PRIVATEKEYBLOB (or PUBLICKEYBLOB) structure, which includes fields like key algorithm, version, and for RSA keys: modulus, primes, exponent values, etc., all in little-endian order.

How to open PVK files

We have identified one PVK opener that is compatible with this specific type of PVK file.

Programs that open PVK Private Key files

Last updated: August 10, 2026

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of PVK files. Remember, different programs may use PVK files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

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