Generating CSRs the Easy Way In Windows

First, download the DigiCert Certificate Utility.

Afterwards, click on “Create CSR”, and fill out the appropriate information to generate the CSR.

Accessing the Private Key for the CSR

When a CSR is generated, there is a private key that associates with the CSR (and eventual certificate). You can access this in certmgr.exe:

To get the private key, go to ‘All Tasks’ -> ‘Export’ and export the private key as needed. Windows will export it as a .pfx file, which you can convert using openssl:

When requested for the password and PEM passphrase, use the password provided in the export step above.