Windows Certificate Propagation Service

The Windows Certificate Propagation Service is a component of the Windows operating system that enables users to log in to their computer with Smart Cards (same family as NFC tags). Very few companies and almost no individuals use this feature of Windows. When the service is running, it disrupts the communication to the NFC reader, making the NFC software unusable. On Windows if the service is running and an NFC tag is placed on the NFC device, you will hear a Windows beep (not a beep from the hardware); this is Windows trying to install a smart card device and indicative that the service needs to be stopped.

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GoToTags Desktop App

The GoToTags Desktop App will attempt to stop and disable this service on startup. The app will request permission to make changes to your device in order to stop and disable this service. If permission is not granted, the app will not start and an incident will be shown. Once this service has been disabled once, it should not need to be disabled again. If you do not want to give the Desktop App this permission, you can manually stop and disable the service by following the video above.

The GoToTags Desktop App will not run until the Windows Certificate Propagation Service is stopped and disabled.

Stopping the Windows Certificate Propagation Service

There are two ways to stop the service:

  • Manually stop and disable the service in the Services control panel (video)
  • Use Group Policy to prevent the service from starting again

Computer admin privileges are required to perform these steps.
If you are not an admin, please forward this page to your system administrator.