About HID Crescendo Manager

Crescendo Manager provides a simplified way to manage your HID Crescendo® devices quickly and efficiently.

Generate and manage key pairs and digital certificates, certificate signing requests, configure and generate one-time passwords, and set up PIN and management keys through an intuitive, user-friendly interface.

Supported Devices

The following devices are fully supported:

  • Crescendo 2300 Card
  • Crescendo Key (2300 Series)
  • Crescendo 4000 Card
  • Crescendo Key V3 (4000 Series)
  • Crescendo 144K Card
Tip! Multiple devices (readers and tokens) can be connected simultaneously.
Tip! Multiple instances of Crescendo Manager can be opened and used at the same time.

Supported Operating Systems

Microsoft Windows

  • Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit edition), version 21H2 and later

  • Microsoft Windows 11, version 21H2 and later

  • Microsoft Windows Server 2016

  • Microsoft Windows Server 2019

  • Microsoft Windows Server 2022

  • Microsoft Windows Server 2025

Note: Crescendo Manager may be compatible with some older versions, but they are not officially supported.
Note: For installing Crescendo Manager on the Windows Server Core (Datacenter), Server Core App Compatibility Feature must be installed.

MacOS

  • MacOS 14 and later, compatible with both Intel and Apple Silicon chips

Release Notes

Main New Features and Improvements

  • Support for Crescendo 144K Cards

  • The Recycle Device action now leaves the token in factory state without automatically performing the Personalization action. The token must be Personalized manually after recycling.

  • Identity view:

    • Signature validation added to the Personal Information tab

    • Data loading indication added

    • Support for fingerprints and facial data

  • Certificates view:

    • Upload to certificate store/keychain button added in the page header

    • Upload to certificate store/keychain button added to Certificate Details dialog

  • Token data loading indication added

  • PUK management

    • Improved Manage PUK dialog UI

    • If only one PUK management-related action is available, the kebab menu displays the action name directly. If multiple actions are available, the Manage PUK option is displayed.

    • Actions in the Manage PUK dialog have been renamed to Configure PUK, View PUK, and Delete PUK

  • FIDO Shared PIN: The FIDO and PKI PINs can now be set to be shared in PIN policies.

  • Improved handling of a blocked PIN

    • In the Devices view, a warning is displayed on the token tile with only the Unblock PIN operation enabled. Other write operations are properly disabled.

    • The Unblock PIN dialog now displays a warning when the PIN is not blocked.

  • macOs: Improved smart card insertion handling for dual interface readers, eliminating the brief display of a contactless token when inserted into the contact slot.

  • Data obfuscation mechanism for full APDU logging: Some sensitive data (including private keys during import, PINs, PUKs, management keys, and cardholder information) are now obfuscated even if full APDU logging is enabled. Note that some sensitive data may still appear in the log file when full logging is enabled.

General Improvements and Bug Fixes

  • macOS: Fixed required re-authentication issue when generating OTPS, even when already authenticated.

  • Certificates are now correctly matched against private keys when importing P12 files using the drag and drop feature, preventing the import of a non-matching pair.

  • Fixed an issue where changing the PIN on 2300 cards did not remove the Force PIN Change flag when PIN change was forced.

  • Removed unnecessary reloading on the OTP page, which was causing screen blinking.

  • Fixed a bug that could cause the application to be displayed outside the visible area after a display layout change.

  • Fixed handling of management (xauth) keys not being initialized on the token. Management key will no longer be offered as a PIN unblock option in such cases.

Main New Features

  • MacOS support: Crescendo Manager is now compatible with MacOS.

  • Access Control Configuration feature added for OTP configuration on the Crescendo 4000 Family.

  • Button Press Actions configuration for Crescendo Keys:

    • V1: Supports single press with HOTP.

    • V3: Supports single and double press with HOTP or static password.

General Improvements and Bug Fixes

  • QR code scanning: Improved handling; the Crescendo Manager window hides during scanning and restores afterward.

  • Disabled actions: Actions are now shown as disabled when unavailable, extending functionality previously limited to Certificates.

  • Certificate generation: IP address format in the SAN (Subject Alternative Name) extension is now validated.

  • Certificate import:

    • General-purpose slots on the Crescendo 2300 Family are no longer selectable for import.

    • The Import button remains enabled when all slots are occupied, provided some contain only private keys (without certificates).

  • Devices view: Removed display of Windows Hello.

  • Settings: Added Token Unsupported Functionality Display Mode (Hide vs Show disabled).

Tip!

To access documentation for other releases, visit the Crescendo Manager documentation page.