![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(108.80000000000001, 95%, 20%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3ESN%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(54.400000000000006, 39%, 15%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3ETD%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Hello Shaik Nazeer!
The issue you encountered is common and it's tied to your Mac/Xcode side with Apple's certificate. When your Xcode (on Mac) tries to sign your MAUI app for the iOS device, it checks the certificate chain. Your developer certificate is "signed" by Apple's intermediate cert (WWDR), which traces back to Apple's root cert. If the intermediate is missing, Xcode sees your cert as "self-signed" (untrusted), leading to the "unable to build chain to self-signed root" warning. This blocks deployment/debugging. Here is the logic of connection:
- Windows sends code to Mac device
- Mac builds/signs app using Xcode
- Signing needs trusted chain but missing WWDR breaks chain
- Error debugging to device
Solutions
To resolve it, download and install the missing Apple intermediate certificate on your Mac. Here's how you can do it step-by-step:
- Download the certificate: Go to Apple's Certificate Authority page: https://www.apple.com/certificateauthority/ Under "Intermediate Certificates," find and download the latest "Worldwide Developer Relations" (WWDR) cert. Look for the active
.cerfile. - Install on Mac: After download, open the
.cerfile to open in Keychain Access (or search for "Keychain Access" app in your Mac). Add it to the "login" or "System" keychain (using System is better for all users). - Trust the certificate: In Keychain Access, find the new WWDR cert (under "Certificates" category). Expand "Trust" section, set "When using this certificate" to "Always Trust" (requires admin privileges). Close and enter your Mac password if needed.
- Verify and restart: In Keychain, search for "WWDR" and confirm it's not marked "untrusted" or expired. Restart your
XcodeandVisual Studio. Re-pair your Windows VS to the Mac if needed (Tools > iOS > Pair to Mac). - Rebuild and debug: In Visual Studio, select your iOS project → Choose the real device → Build/Debug. If using automatic provisioning, then your VS should handle the rest of the process.
Considerations
- Don't use truly
self-signedcerts, always get from Apple Developer portal since in some casesself-signedwon't work for iOS devices due to security. If your developer cert is expired, you can renew it via developer.apple.com > Certificates > Create new Development cert > Install on Mac. See here
If the solution doesn't fix:
- Check Keychain for duplicates/conflicts—delete old WWDR certs.
- Re-download provisioning profile in Xcode (Xcode > Preferences > Accounts > Download Manual Profiles).
- Test with iOS simulator first (no device needed) to isolate if it's cert vs. connection issue.
- If error persists, share exact error text (from VS output window) for deeper debug—might be network/firewall between Windows/Mac.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you get stuck anywhere!
References:
- Intro to certificate management for Apple devices documentation
- Unable to build chain to self-signed root (Closed)
- Related issue: .NET MAUI app publish failing to sign on iOS
- Related issue: Trust a self signed ssl cert on iPhone iOS 17
- Related issue: Cannot load Apple certificates
- .NET MAUI - iOS: Warning: unable to build chain to self-signed root for signer iPhone Distribution