Files with the .P12 extension contain a digital certificate encrypted in accordance with the Public Key Cryptography Standard #12, or PKCS#12 for short. P12 files are usually used as a portable format for transferring public keys or moving other sensitive data. The files are used by various programs for creating safeguards and encryption.

P12 files contain private keys that can be used for encrypting data, which can then be decrypted only using said data’s public key. Similarly, data encrypted using a public key can be decrypted only using a respective private key. This allows for verification of the data transmission source.