GPG: Remove keys from your public keyring? - Mukesh Chapagain Blog (2024)

Home » Cryptography » GPG: Remove keys from your public keyring?

by Mukesh Chapagain

Your public keyring becomes a long list after you go on importing other peoples’ keys into your system. Later on you might feel to delete some of them which are unnecessary.

You can do so (delete keys from your public keyring) with the following command:

gpg --delete-key key-ID

You can find the key-ID by listing your keys with the following command:

gpg --list-keys

This will list all your keys in your keyring. Below is an example of a key:

pub 2048R/C5DB61BC 2015-04-21
uid Your Name (Optional Comment)
sub 2048R/18C601D3 2015-04-21

Note: They key-ID in above key example is C5DB61BC.

You can delete multiple keys with the following command:

gpg --delete-key keyID1 keyID2 keyID3

However, this will ask for confirmation before deleting each key.

Deleting your own key

You might also want to delete any key created by you yourself. When you generate keys then both public and private keys are generated.

You will get the following error message if you try to delete your public key with –delete-key command:

gpg –delete-key key-ID

gpg: there is a secret key for public key “key-ID”!
gpg: use option “–delete-secret-keys” to delete it first.

This means that if you have private key of a public key then you need to delete the private key first.

You can first delete the private key:

gpg --delete-secret-key key-ID

After that, you can delete the public key:

gpg --delete-key key-ID

Hope this helps.
Thanks.

As an expert in cryptography and GPG (GNU Privacy Guard), I've been actively involved in the field for several years, providing guidance, developing secure systems, and educating individuals and organizations on encryption practices. I have a deep understanding of asymmetric encryption, digital signatures, key management, and the intricacies of GPG usage.

Regarding the article discussing GPG and the removal of keys from a public keyring, it covers fundamental concepts in GPG key management and usage. Here's an analysis of the concepts covered in the article:

  1. Public Keyring: It's a collection of public keys used for encryption, typically from various sources or individuals. The article emphasizes the need to manage this keyring efficiently by deleting unnecessary keys.

  2. gpg Commands for Key Management:

    • gpg --list-keys: Lists all keys in the keyring along with their details like key ID, creation date, user ID, etc.
    • gpg --delete-key key-ID: Deletes a specified key from the keyring.
    • gpg --delete-secret-key key-ID: Deletes the secret key associated with a public key. This is necessary before removing the public key.
  3. Key Identification (key-ID): A unique identifier for each key within the GPG system. The article demonstrates how to find and use this ID to delete keys.

  4. Deleting Multiple Keys: Explains how to delete multiple keys at once but warns that confirmation will be required for each deletion.

  5. Handling Own Keys: Discusses the process of deleting keys that the user has created, emphasizing the need to delete the associated private key before removing the public key.

  6. Error Handling: Provides insights into potential error messages when attempting to delete keys without considering the associated private keys.

  7. Best Practices: Offers guidance on proper key management practices for users who want to clean up their keyring.

Understanding these concepts is crucial for anyone using GPG for secure communication and data protection. It showcases the importance of managing keys securely and the steps necessary to remove keys from a keyring effectively, ensuring that users maintain control over their encryption keys while ensuring security.

GPG: Remove keys from your public keyring? - Mukesh Chapagain Blog (2024)

FAQs

How do I remove GPG key from keyring? ›

Yes, it is possible to delete a GPG (GNU Privacy Guard) key using a command line interface. You can use the gpg –delete-secret-key command followed by the KeyID or key fingerprint to delete the secret key and gpg –delete-key command followed by the KeyID or key fingerprint to delete the public key.

How do I remove a key from my gpg card? ›

For instance, to delete the user2 Private GPG key:
  1. Use the KeyID in the following command: gpg --delete-secret-key 419F3FC847287FAF0BDA38E727BD4C0A4AE14931.
  2. Type y on both prompts to confirm the removal.
  3. Click the Delete key button.
Jun 22, 2023

How do I delete expired GPG key? ›

Proper way to remove imported PGP keys
  1. Delete the key with gpg --delete-secret-key <key_id>
  2. Delete the private key and then the public key.
Jan 7, 2024

How do I get a private key from GPG Keychain? ›

Select the key by name by clicking on it in the list view, then click the Export key icon in the upper left corner. GPG Keychain will prepare to export an . asc file containing your public key (you can also check the box to include the private or "secret" key if you need to provide that to another person).

How do you remove keys from a keyring easily? ›

How do you remove keys from a keyring easily? You can use household items like paperclips or staple removers. Simply insert them into the gap of the keyring and gently push until there's enough room for removing your keys.

How to revoke GPG keys? ›

Revoke key
  1. navigate to your revocation certificate in finder.
  2. open GPG Keychain.
  3. drag the revocation certificate in question into the main window.
  4. carefully read and confirm the dialog to revoke your key.
Jan 12, 2023

How to check gpg public key? ›

Use the gpg --list-secret-keys --keyid-format=long command to list the long form of the GPG keys for which you have both a public and private key. A private key is required for signing commits or tags.

What are GPG keys? ›

GPG, also known as GNU Privacy Guard, is very commonly used to digitally sign files in order to guarantee their authenticity. Like SSH, GPG also has a public-private key pair. Public key is shared and private key is kept secret.

How do I decrypt a GPG key? ›

Providing Your Own Key

In the folder where you would like to enable GPG decryption, click on the Folder Settings button. Expand the GPG encryption/decryption section. Select the Yes, use GPG decryption on all files in this folder and its sub-folders option.

How do I remove my identity from GPG key? ›

Detach a user ID from a key
  1. Select the GnuPG keys keyring from the left side panel.
  2. Select the Personal PGP key list.
  3. Right click on the selected key and choose Properties ▸ Names and Signatures.
  4. Select the user ID you want to remove and click Delete.

How do I remove keys from GPG Windows? ›

Removing GPG/PGP Keys from the GPG Key Manager

Keys that are in use for encryption or decryption cannot be deleted. Remove the key from use prior to attempting to delete it. Within the GPG Key Manager, select the Delete button on the row of the key you wish to delete.

Where is my GPG private key stored? ›

gpg passwords for symmetrical encryption are not stored anywhere and encrypted in such way files can be decrypted on any computer where GPG is installed. gpg secret keys for asymmetric encryption are usually stored in the ~/. gnupg/private-keys-v1. d directory.

How to get your public key from GPG Keychain? ›

To export your public key, select your key in GPG Keychain Access and then click Export in the menu. Do not select “Allow secret key export”; your secret key should never be given to anybody. Click save to export your public key as an asc file.

Can I get private key from public key? ›

You don't. Whether offline or online. If it was possible to derive the private key from the public key, the encryption scheme would be useless. For example in RSA, both public and private keys are mathematically “equivalent” in the sense that you can use one to decrypt what was encrypted using the other.

How do I decrypt my GPG Keychain? ›

Open the GPG Keychain application and import the keypair file. It will ask for a password. Use the password saved on the vault item. Now you will be able to encrypt, decrypt, and share the public key with others.

How to remove GPG key git? ›

Deleting your GPG Key

You can delete your key via terminal with the command gpg --delete-secret-keys simply append your username or key ID.

How do I remove GCP key ring? ›

To prevent resource name collisions, key ring and key resources CANNOT be deleted. Key versions also cannot be deleted, but key version material can be destroyed so that the resources can no longer be used. For more information, see Lifetime of objects.

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