The file extension with the CER type is the one that supports the SSL certificate file format that is mostly utilized by the Web servers that is useful to verify the identity as well as the security of the site that is in question.
Normally, 3rd parties provide these SSL certificates to the websites and it mainly includes the Thawte, GlobalSign or VeriSign.
In addition to the problem described above, i.e. the lack of the appropriate application to support the .CER file, there may be several reasons that cause problems with opening and operation of the data format:
A quite common problem is the lack of application in the appropriate version. Even if you have an application, with the help of which you should open the .CER file, you may have a problem with it because of its version. Perhaps in previous versions the application has not yet supported the .CER file, so download the update and check again.
If you have already installed the appropriate application, and it is the correct version, the file may not open correctly, because the operating system does not have information that this program supports the file. So you need to "show" which program the computer should use. To do this:
It also happens that the file you want to open is corrupt and therefore there is no such possibility. In this situation, you should find its different version, or ask a person from whom you got, to send it again.
There may be several reasons why you cannot open the file with .CER extension. Directly on this website you can find a solution of the most common problem with the .CER file – that you do not have on your computer the appropriate program to open the file.