SignTool Error: This file format cannot be signed because it is not recognized. SignTool Error: An error occurred while attempting to sign

Question

I am trying to sign a MSIX made .appinstaller file using signtool on a Windows SDK supported docker image. I am using the following command in my yml file to do so as:

    - 'signtool.exe sign /tr http://timestamp.digicert.com /td sha256 /fd sha256 /a "C:\GR\SignPS\builds\k81Fedrd\0\TE-SW\PC\SW21042_MRS_Realizer_NET\src\RealizerMSIX\SharedOutDir\realizermsix.appinstaller"'

when I try to do I get the following error:

The setup is there,container paths are correct too. Need quick help.

I tried checking the container paths and also that if the SignTool is present, all seems good.

Answer 1

You can only sign recognized file types. The following file types are generally supported, though it does depend on your version of Windows: .msi, .msp, .msm, .cab, .dll, .exe, .appx, .appxbundle, .msix, .msixbundle, .sys, .vxd, .ps1, .psm1.

You should not sign the .appinstaller file. Instead sign the .msixbundle file.

Also note that .msix/msixbundle signing will not work from all operating systems. For example, it will not work on Windows Server 2016. See https://github.com/vcsjones/AzureSignTool/issues/174