GPG Key is Expired

Files.com rejects expired GPG/PGP keys for encryption, signing, and decryption, including when a file was encrypted before the key expired. An expired subkey also prevents processing. Renew the key and import the updated key material before retrying. Renewing the matching private key preserves the ability to decrypt files encrypted before it expired.

File Too Large

Files larger than the 10 GB GPG limit exceed the supported size for encryption or decryption. The limit controls the CPU capacity required to process an individual file. If your workflow requires larger files, contact Files.com Support to discuss the workload and capacity needed to raise the limit.

Key Import Errors

The most common errors come from importing GPG keys incorrectly.

Key Has Expired

An import error message of contains an invalid public key: key has expired means Files.com rejected the public key because it is expired. Ask its provider for an unexpired key or an updated copy with an extended expiration date.

An import error message of contains an invalid private key: key has expired means Files.com rejected the private key because it is expired. Extend the expiration date and import the updated key. Renew the same private key when you need to decrypt files encrypted to its matching public key.

Password is Missing

The contains an invalid private key: Private key password is missing error message means the private key requires a password (passphrase) and one was not provided.

Provide the password (passphrase) that was used to protect the private key.

Incorrect Private Key Password

The contains an invalid private key: Incorrect private key password error message means the password (passphrase) provided does not match the one used to protect the private key.

Provide the correct password (passphrase) that was used to protect the private key.

Password Not Required

The contains an invalid private key: Password present but private key does not require one error message means the private key does not require a password (passphrase), but one was provided.

Remove the password (passphrase) from the input form and retry the import.

Key Mismatch

When importing a key pair, the fingerprints of the public and private keys must match. If the fingerprints don't match, contact the key's provider and ask for a matching key pair.

The public key to private key mismatch error message means the public and private keys in the imported pair do not correspond to each other.

Whenever possible, the error message includes details about the keys, including the user ID (key owner) and fingerprint.

Keys do not have to be imported as pairs. You can import public or private keys independently. Only import a key pair together when they are a matching pair.

You can also double-check a key pair mismatch using the GPG command line application. Use the command gpg --list-packets <keyfile> to see details about a key. When comparing a private and public key, the output shows matching keyid: and hashed subpkt 33 len 21 entries. If these values differ, the keys are not a matching pair.

Example cropped output for matching keys, showing the relevant sections containing the keyid: and hashed subpkt 33 fingerprint:

% gpg --list-packets PUBLIC_keyfile.pem
# off=0 ctb=c6 tag=6 hlen=3 plen=525 new-ctb
:public key packet:
	...
	keyid: 7EA2B584CEBEE146
# off=528 ctb=cd tag=13 hlen=2 plen=44 new-ctb
:user ID packet: "My Key <my.email@files.com>"
# off=574 ctb=c2 tag=2 hlen=3 plen=586 new-ctb
:signature packet: algo 1, keyid 7EA2B584CEBEE146
	...
	hashed subpkt 33 len 21 (issuer fpr v4 B852EA7705D7875D927681957EA2B584CEBEE146)
	...

% gpg --list-packets PRIVATE_keyfile.pem
# off=0 ctb=c5 tag=5 hlen=3 plen=1816 new-ctb
:secret key packet:
	...
	keyid: 7EA2B584CEBEE146
# off=1819 ctb=cd tag=13 hlen=2 plen=44 new-ctb
:user ID packet: "My Key <my.email@files.com>"
# off=1865 ctb=c2 tag=2 hlen=3 plen=586 new-ctb
:signature packet: algo 1, keyid 7EA2B584CEBEE146
	...
	hashed subpkt 33 len 21 (issuer fpr v4 B852EA7705D7875D927681957EA2B584CEBEE146)
	...

In the output above, the values for keyid: and hashed subpkt 33 len 21 must match across the public and private keys. Keys with differing keyid: values, or differing hashed subpkt 33 len 21 values, are not a matched pair.

Troubleshooting GPG