Exporting a Personal Encryption Certificate

Exporting a Personal Encryption Certificate
To back up a personal encryption certificate, take these steps:

Log on as the user whose certificate you want to back up.
In Microsoft Internet Explorer, choose Tools, Internet Options. On the Content tab of the Internet Options dialog box, click Certificates to open the Certificates dialog box.

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If you prefer, you can use the Certificates snap-in for Microsoft Management Console for this procedure. We chose to open the Certificates dialog box through Internet Options because this route is available and easily understandable for all users; no special privileges are required.
On the Personal tab, select the certificate that shows Encrypting File System in the Certificate Intended Purposes box at the bottom of the dialog box.
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Windows creates this certificate the first time you encrypt a folder or file. Unless you have encrypted something—or you created an encryption certificate in some other way—the certificate won't exist.
Click Export to launch the Certificate Export Wizard, and then click Next.
Select Yes, Export The Private Key, and then click Next two times.
Specify a password for the .pfx file. It doesn't need to be the same as your logon password. Click Next.
Specify the path and file name for the exported file.
Click Next and then click Finish.
As you'll see in the next section, the import process makes it easy to install your certificate on another computer—and thereby provide access to your encrypted files. For that reason, be careful to observe these guidelines:

When you export your certificate, be sure to protect it with a password that can't be guessed easily. Unlike the case of logon attempts, no policies exist to prevent further attempts after a certain number of incorrect guesses. (On the other hand, be sure to use a password that you can remember when the need arises!)
Be sure to keep your certificate files—whether they're on a floppy disk, a hard disk, or some other medium—in a secure place.