# Generating a CSR for an S/MIME Personal certificate using OpenSSL

Openprovider’s SSL panel currently does not support generating a CSR for S/MIME Personal Certificates, which requires an email address in the ‘Common Name’ field. OpenSSL is a versatile command-line tool widely used across UNIX, Linux, BSD, and Windows systems for managing cryptographic operations. This guide outlines the steps to create a private key and CSR, essential for obtaining an email signing certificate (also known as an S/MIME or client certificate).

**Prerequisites**

- Ensure OpenSSL is installed on your system.
- Create a secure directory to store your private key and CSR files.
- Protect this directory to prevent unauthorized access.

**Step-by-Step Instructions**

1. **Open the Terminal** Launch the terminal application on your computer.<span>  
    </span>**<span>  
    </span>**
2. **<span>Generate the Private Key and CSR  
    </span>**<span>Execute the following command:</span>```
    <span>openssl req -nodes -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout certificate.key -out certificate.csr<br></br></span>
    ```
    
      
    This command creates a 2048-bit RSA private key (certificate.key) and a CSR (certificate.csr).
3. **Provide Certificate Details** You'll be prompted to enter the following information:
4. - - **Country Name** (2-letter code): e.g., NL
        - **State or Province Name**: e.g., Gelderland
        - **Locality Name**: e.g., Nijmegen
        - **Organization Name**: e.g., Your Company Name
        - **Organizational Unit Name**: e.g., IT Department
        - **Common Name**: Your Email address for which the S/MIME Personal certificate to be generated
        - **Email Address**: Contact point of the certificate owner e.g., <john.doe@example.com>
        - **Challenge Password (Optional)**: (Leave blank)
        - **Optional Company Name**: (Leave blank)

- **Review and Save the CSR** The certificate.csr file is now created in your current directory. Open this file with a text editor and copy its entire contents, including the -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST----- and -----END CERTIFICATE REQUEST----- lines.
- **Submit the CSR** Paste the copied CSR into the appropriate field during the certificate ordering process on your Openprovider SSL panel.  
      
    After purchasing the certificate please refer [https://openprovider.help/books/ssl-certificates/page/how-to-generate-public-key-pfx](https://openprovider.help/books/ssl-certificates/page/how-to-generate-public-key-pfx) to generate a PFX certificate using OpenSSL to use with email client like outlook.  
      
      
    **Note:** Always keep your private key (certificate.key) secure and never share it.