How do get the publisher name to display in the ClickOnce installer dialog box

Question

In Visual Studio 2015, how can I get the ClickOnce installer dialog box to display the name of the publisher as indicated in the image?

I tried entering the name into Project Properties -> Publish -> Options -> Description -> Publisher Name, but that only adds the name to the folder on the Start Menu after it's installed.

The Company field under Project Properties -> Application -> Assembly Information didn't work either.

Answer 1

MSIX: Maybe consider having a quick read about MSIX - a new universal package format designed for Windows 10 apps.

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ClickOnce: Though I don't use ClickOnce, I believe the problem you see is due to a missing certificate. You need an Authenticode code signing certificate to sign your setup: ClickOnce and Authenticode.

Extract: In the document linked above, it says:

"You can obtain a certificate for code signing in one of three ways:

1. Purchase one from a certificate vendor.
2. Receive one from a group in your organization responsible for creating digital certificates.
3. Generate your own certificate by using the New-SelfSignedCertificate PowerShell cmdlet, or by using MakeCert.exe, which is included with the Windows Software Development Kit (SDK).

You need to use option 1 for general deployment. Option 2 is for company use, and option 3 is basically for testing.

Summary: With option 1 you should get the right Publisher name displayed. So obtain a proper code signing certificate from an issuing authority to correct the problem you see. Obviously first check if your company already has such a certificate (very frequently they do these days).

SmartScreen: Here is an answer on SmartScreen and digital certificates using MSI. Please skim: How to add publisher in Installshield 2018

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Links:

• ClickOnce security and deployment
• "Proper" way of releasing software and creating an installer for it