Unable to Upload EV Certificate/SignableFile.bin to the partner portal

Michael Hansen 0 Reputation points
2026-05-07T17:34:41.1333333+00:00

We are a member of the hardware program and we are trying to upload the SignableFile.bin to the Manage Certificates section of the portal. We sign the file with the /fd SHA256 parameter with our EV Certificate. When we upload the file, we get a silent error and when looking at the developer console in the browser we see main.js:1 Error uploading certificate: 2. We have a ticket in with Microsoft but have been getting nowhere with that ticket over the course of weeks now. We have provided screen recordings to the Microsoft tech support team with now resolution in sight.<windows-hardware-certification>

<microsoft-partner-center>

Microsoft Partner Center | Other
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  1. AI answer

    2026-05-07T17:34:58.5566667+00:00

    Error code 2 when uploading the signed SignableFile.bin indicates that Partner Center is rejecting the uploaded file, typically because the certificate or signing format does not meet the hardware dashboard requirements.

    Verify the following, in order:

    1. EV certificate is correctly associated with the Partner Center account
    • Ensure the EV certificate being used is already added and approved in the Hardware Dev Center / Partner Center account.
    • As a Partner Center administrator, go to Partner Center → gear icon → Account Settings → Manage Certificates and confirm that at least one EV certificate is present and valid.
    • If the certificate is not listed, add it by following the “Add a new certificate” flow and complete it successfully before attempting to upload SignableFile.bin.
    1. SignableFile.bin is signed with the correct certificate and options
    • Download the SignableFile.bin from the Manage Certificates page.
    • Sign it using SignTool with:
      • The EV (or registered Authenticode) certificate that is associated with the Partner Center account.
      • SHA-2 file digest and timestamp:
        signtool sign /fd sha256 /tr <timestamp-url> /td sha256 /a SignableFile.bin
    • Requirements from the hardware dashboard:
      • All certificates must be SHA-2.
      • SignTool must use the /fd sha256 switch and an appropriate SHA-2 timestamp.
      • The certificate used must be valid at the time of submission.
    1. Certificate type and validity
    • Confirm that the EV certificate is an EV code signing certificate from a supported CA and that it has not expired.
    • If using an Authenticode certificate instead of EV for this step, ensure that this Authenticode certificate is also registered to the same Partner Center account.
    1. Retry the upload after re-signing
    • After confirming the above, re-sign SignableFile.bin and upload again via Partner Center → Account Settings → Manage Certificates → Add a new certificate → upload the signed file.
    1. Escalate through official support if the issue persists
    • If the file is correctly signed and the certificate is valid and registered, but the portal still fails with error 2, continue working with Microsoft support and reference the hardware dashboard certificate management process. This scenario may indicate a portal-side issue that must be resolved by the Partner Center team.

    References:

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