Open a P7M file online
Upload the .p7m to see the document sealed inside it, who signed it and whether the signature checks out. Then download the original under its real name. No account, nothing to install.
- Secure & private
- Works on any device
- Nothing to install
- Every signature in the file
- Intact, or changed since signing
- Who signed, and when
- Trust reported separately
Upload the .p7m file to open
.p7m, .pdf.p7m, .xml.p7m, .p7s, .m7m, .tsd · checked, then deleted
Drag & drop files here
or choose a file from your device
On your computer? Get the Windows appOn your phone? Get the phone app
Trust your own certificate (optional)
Add a root or intermediate certificate (.cer, .crt, .pem, .p7b) to treat it as trusted for this check only. It is not stored.
How to open a P7M file
- Upload the .p7m. Drag it into the box or pick it from your computer or phone. A file signed twice (report.pdf.p7m.p7m) or saved as Base64 text works too.
- See what is inside. The result shows the signed document with a safe preview, its real name and its size, and under it the result of every signature.
- Download the original. Download gives you the exact file that was signed, for example report.pdf, ready to open, print or forward.
What you get, by the file you have
The second extension usually tells you what is inside. The tool reads the content, not the name, so a file called document.p7m works too.
| The file you received | What is inside | What you see here |
|---|---|---|
| report.pdf.p7m | A PDF | A preview of the pages and the PDF to download |
| invoice.xml.p7m | An Italian e-invoice (XML) | The invoice laid out to read, the XML and a PDF copy to download |
| letter.docx.p7m | A Word document | The .docx to download and open in your word processor |
| photo.jpg.p7m | A picture | The picture on the page and to download |
| smime.p7m, signed | A signed email message | The signature result and the message as an .eml file |
| smime.p7m, encrypted | An encrypted email | A plain message saying it is encrypted mail; nothing to open without the recipient's key |
Only PDFs and pictures are shown on the page, and a PDF is shown without any scripts it carries. Every other kind of file is a download only; nothing in it is run.
What a P7M file is
A .p7m is a document sealed inside a digital signature envelope. The format is called CAdES. The signer's software takes a file, say report.pdf, and wraps it together with the signature and the signer's certificate. The result keeps the original name and adds .p7m: report.pdf.p7m.
That is why a double click does nothing useful. Your computer sees .p7m and has no program for it, even though a plain PDF sits inside. The document is not encrypted, only wrapped. You do not need a digital signature of your own to read it.
Why Windows, Mac and phones will not open it
PDF readers check signatures that live inside a PDF (the PAdES format). They do not unwrap a PDF that lives inside a signature. Preview on a Mac does not either, and phones have no built in app for signature envelopes. .p7m files are most common in Italy, where certified email and e-invoices carry them every day, so most advice you find points to an Italian signing program you would have to install.
This page works in any browser, on a computer or a phone. The file is sent to our server, checked, and deleted. Nothing is kept, and you do not need an account.
smime.p7m from an email
A file called smime.p7m attached to an email is usually not a document at all. It is the email itself, signed or encrypted with S/MIME.
- Signed mail. The signature is checked like any other, and the message inside comes out as smime.eml. It is never shown on the page; download it and open it with your email program.
- Encrypted mail. It holds no signature to check, and only the person it was sent to can open it, with their own key, in their email program. The tool says exactly that instead of a vague error.
Opening is not the same as verifying
Many .p7m viewers show the document and the name written in the certificate, and stop there. They do not check whether the certificate was valid when the file was signed, whether it had been revoked, or whether the authority that issued it is trusted. Here you get both: the document at the top and, under it, a plain verdict for every signature with the reason written out. The checks follow the European ETSI validation rules and use the EU trusted lists, so a certificate from any EU country is recognised.
It is a technical check, not a qualified validation, and it has no legal standing of its own. If you need a validation report for an official or legal purpose, use a qualified validation service. The same tool checks signed PDFs on Verify Signature.
Honest limits
- One file at a time. There is no batch mode.
- The file goes to our server for the check (it is deleted afterwards). It is not processed only in your browser.
- Signed XML (XAdES), ASiC containers and Turkish .imz files are not verified here.
- Archive timestamps of the older version 2 kind are shown but not checked.
If all you need is the PDF, P7M to PDF explains what you get and what you lose. The background on CAdES, PAdES and XAdES is in How to verify .p7m, .p7s and XML signed files.
Open a P7M file: common questions
Do I need a digital signature to open a .p7m file?
No. The signature is for the person who signs, not for the reader. You need no certificate, smart card or account to open the envelope and read the document.
Is the downloaded file the same as the signed one?
Yes, byte for byte, under its real name. It is not recreated or converted. Outside the envelope it no longer carries the signature, so keep the .p7m if you need to prove it was signed.
Can I open a .p7m in my PDF reader?
Usually not: the reader opens PDFs, and a .p7m is an envelope with a PDF inside. Open it here, download the PDF, then use your usual reader.
What is a .p7s, and how is it different?
A .p7s is a signature kept in a separate file, next to the document it signs. Upload both together and the tool tells you whether the document is the one that was signed.
Is my file stored?
No. It is checked and then deleted. It does have to reach our server for the check; it is not processed only in your browser.
Can I open several .p7m files at once?
One at a time. Each file is checked in full, revocation included.