Knowledge Base

How to Change the Trust Settings of a Certificate in Keychain Access on Mac?

Updated on December 5, 2025

How to Change the Trust Settings of a Certificate in Keychain Access on Mac?

Product: macOS
Summary:

This guide provides the step-by-step process for modifying the trust settings of a certificate in Keychain Access on macOS. Adjusting these settings allows you to override default system behavior for certificate validation, which can help resolve trust-related issues for secure connections.

Audience:

IT administrators, developers, and advanced Mac users who need to manage certificate trust settings.

Scope:

This procedure applies to macOS systems using Keychain Access for certificate management.

Pre-requisites:

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

Administrator access to your Mac

The certificate already installed in Keychain Access

Knowledge of the implications of changing trust settings (to avoid security risks)

Procedure

Step 1: Open Keychain Access

1. Press Command (⌘) + Spacebar to open Spotlight Search.

2. Type Keychain Access and press Return.

Image: Spotlight Search showing Keychain Access

Step 2: Select a Keychain

1. In the Keychains sidebar (top-left), choose the keychain where your certificate is stored (e.g., login, System, or System Roots).

2. In the Category section, click Certificates.

Image: Keychain Access showing certificates

Step 3: Open the Certificate

1. Double-click the certificate you want to modify.

2. A new window will open with certificate details.

A screenshot of a computerAI-generated content may be incorrect.

Step 4: Show Trust Settings

1. In the certificate window, click the ‘dropdown arrow” next to "Trust" to expand the trust settings.

Image: Trust settings expanded in certificate window

Step 5: Change Trust Settings

1. Use the pop-up menus to change how the system trusts the certificate (e.g., Always Trust, Never Trust, or Use System Defaults).

A screenshot of a emailAI-generated content may be incorrect.

2. Close the window. You may be prompted to enter your admin password to save the changes.

Verification

To confirm that the process was successful, reopen the certificate in Keychain Access and check that the trust settings reflect your changes. Additionally, test the application or connection that relies on the certificate to ensure no trust-related warnings appear.

Important Note

- Be cautious when changing trust settings, especially for System or Root certificates.

- Misconfigured trust settings can lead to security warnings or connection issues.