Set a new expiration date for a key

I always set my GPG keys to expire after 1 year.

=> Why set an expiration date for a key?

This means that for all keys that I still want to use, I have to set a new expiration date every year. You can always set a new expiration date, even if a key has already expired. Here’s how.

The long way

Enter the key editor with “gpg --edit-key USER-ID”. USER-ID can be anything that uniquely identifies the key that you want to edit, for example its fingerprint.

=> Get the fingerprint of a key

Set a new expiration date for the primary key with “expire” after deselecting all subkeys. All subkeys are deselected by default. If you have selected a subkey, deselect all subkeys with “key 0”.

Set a new expiration date for a subkey with “expire” after selecting the subkey. Select a subkey with “key N”, where N is the subkey’s number. List all subkeys along with their numbers with “list”. Select all subkeys at once with “key *”.

Save all changes and exit the key editor with “save”. To discard all changes and exit the key editor, use “quit”.

The short way

You can also set the expiration date for a primary key and all its non-expired subkeys with “--quick-set-expire”. Consult the man page fore more information. I have never used this method. Once a subkey has expired, you have to go the long way anyway.

Afterwards: export

I like to export a key whenever I’ve changed it.

=> Export a key

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