Quick Fix: ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID for (Website)
Issue: User cannot access to “Something.com” and receives: - “Your connection isn’t private” - NET::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID - No certificate details shown Site works on other devices. This is typically caused by a local certificate trust issue.
Quick Fix Steps:
Verify Date & Time- - Settings → Time & Language → Date & Time
- - Enable Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically
- - Click Sync now
- - Control Panel → Internet Options → Content → Clear SSL State
- Flush Browser Socket Cache
-
- - In Edge/Chrome: edge://net-internals/#sockets → Flush socket pools
- - Settings → Network & Internet → Proxy → Ensure Use a proxy server = OFF (unless required)
- - Settings → Network & Internet → VPN → Disconnect any VPN
- Run PowerShell as Administrator and execute:
- certutil -generateSSTFromWU roots.sst
- certutil -addstore -f root roots.sst
- Test on a Mobile Hotspot
- - If it works: issue is network-related (proxy/firewall/filtering)
- - If it still fails: device certificate store is the root cause (Primary FIx usually resolves it)
Outcome:
If the issue persists, escalate to Tier 2 for certificate store inspection and network path analysis.