This article will guide you through enabling TLS 1.2 on Windows 7.
TLS stands for Transport Layer Security, an advanced protocol that is a successor to the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol. Its primary purpose is to ensure secure communication across the internet. TLS safeguards data exchange on various applications, including web browsers, email clients, file transfer systems, VPN connections, and voice-over IP services.
When it comes to Windows 7, it supports two versions of the TLS protocol, namely TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2. But, these protocol versions are not activated by default on Windows 7. However, it's worth noting that Windows 8 and subsequent versions have TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2 enabled as the default configurations.
Follow the steps below to enable TLS 1.2 on Windows 7.
1. Click on the Windows button located on the Status bar and then click on the Run button.
2. In the run field, type the text "regedit" and click on the Ok button to open the Registry editor. 
3. Once you click on the Ok button, you will get the following windows. 
4. Browse the following registry key in this window.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols
5. Right-click on the Protocols folder, select New, and then Key from the drop-down menu.
6. Once you click on the key option, this will create a new folder, “New Key #1”. You have to rename it with the name “TLS 1.2”. 
7. Right-click on the TLS 1.2 key, select New, and then Key from the drop-down menu.
8. By clicking on the key option, will create a new folder, “New Key #1”. You have to rename it with the name “Client”. 
9. Right-click on the Client key and select New and then DWORD (32-bit) Value from the drop-down list. 
10. Once you click on the DWORD (32-bit) value. It will create a file with the name “New value #1”. You have to rename that file to DisabledByDefault. 
11. Once all the steps are completed, reboot the system to implement the changes
→ Looking to enable TLS 1.2 on Windows 10? Please refer to enable TLS 1.2 on windows 10 for more details.
