Home » Cryptography » GPG: Remove keys from your public keyring?
by Mukesh Chapagain
Categories Cryptography Tags cryptography, private key, public key
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-IDYou can find the key-ID by listing your keys with the following command:
gpg --list-keysThis 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 keyID3However, 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-IDAfter that, you can delete the public key:
gpg --delete-key key-IDHope this helps.
Thanks.
Related posts:
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:
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Deleting Multiple Keys: Explains how to delete multiple keys at once but warns that confirmation will be required for each deletion.
-
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.
-
Error Handling: Provides insights into potential error messages when attempting to delete keys without considering the associated private keys.
-
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.
