What’s causing the ‘fatal error occurred while creating an SSL client credential’ error?
How to fix the ‘fatal error occurred while creating an SSL client credential’ error?
1. Enable the System Cryptography policy
As it turns out, the vast majority of ‘fatal error occurred while creating an SSL client credential’ errors are related to Schannel. Keep in mind that Schannel is Microsoft’s most secure popular package that facilitates the use of Security Socket Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryptions on Windows platforms. As it turns out, there’s one particular policy that is often responsible for the apparition of this issue (FIPS compliant algorithms for encryption, hashing, and signing) Several affected users have reported that the issue was resolved after they used the Gpedit (Local Group Policy Editor) utility to enable this policy. Here’s a quick guide on enabling the FIPS compliant algorithms for encryption, hashing, and signing in order to resolve the ‘fatal error occurred while creating an SSL client credential’ issue: If you followed this method and you’re still encountering the same ‘fatal error occurred while creating an SSL client credential’ issue, move down to the next potential fix below.
2. Repair / Reinstall Microsoft Office
Another popular fix that a lot of affected users have used to fix the ‘fatal error occurred while creating an SSL client credential’ issue is to either repair or reinstall the Office installation. Keep in mind that the repair function is not identical to a reinstallation procedure. For many users, uninstalling and installing the latest version of Microsoft Office finally did the trick after an attempt at fixing the issue by repairing failed. Note: Here’s what to do in case your Office applications are no longer responding. Here’s a quick guide on repairing or repairing Microsoft Office in order to eliminate the constant ‘fatal error occurred while creating an SSL client credential’ Event Viewer entries: If the same problem is still occurring, move down to the next method below.
3. Enable TLS 1.0 (Not Recommended)
One potentially dangerous fix but one that has worked for several affected users is to enable TLS 1.0. This will most likely fix the issue if the ‘fatal error occurred while creating an SSL client credential’ error is encountered with older Office installations. But the problem is, TLS 1.0 is a cryptographic protocol that is already abandoned in 2020. Leaving this key enabled might leave your system exposed to security risks in the long run. If you understand the risks and you are prepared to go further with this fix, here’s what you need to do:
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