On our hosting: it installs itself
If the certificate is for a website hosted with us, you don't need to download or install anything. As soon as the certificate authority issues it, it's installed on your hosting automatically. You'll get a "ready for installation" email, but there's nothing to do.
What can hold it up is validation. The certificate authority emails an approval link, usually to an address like [email protected]. Until someone clicks it, the order waits. If you didn't get the email, open the certificate in the Client Area and click Change Approver Email, or ask us to resend it. See Pending Validation, Reissues and Renewals.
How to check it's installed
- In the Client Area: go to Domains, open your domain and look at SSL Status. It shows the issuer (for example RapidSSL or DigiCert) and the expiry date. It can take an hour or so to update after a change.
- In your browser: open your site in a private window, click the padlock (or the site settings icon) next to the address and view the certificate. Check who issued it and that it covers the address you typed, with and without www.
- In cPanel: open SSL/TLS Status to see which certificate is on each name.
Common reasons it doesn't show up
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| The order is still waiting for validation | Approve the email from the certificate authority. See above. |
| The certificate was ordered for a different domain, or the www version | Certificates only cover the exact names they were ordered for. Check the domain on the order. If it's wrong, open a support ticket and we'll reissue it. |
| The website isn't hosted with us | We can only install certificates on our own hosting. Retrieve it from the Client Area and install it with your website's host (see below). |
| Your hosting or Site Builder service was cancelled | A certificate installed on a service that's been cancelled or terminated goes with it. Reactivate the service, or open a support ticket to move the certificate. |
| The site uses Cloudflare | Visitors see Cloudflare's certificate, not yours. That's normal. Keep your certificate installed on the hosting and set Cloudflare's SSL mode to Strict. See Cloudflare: SSL/TLS Settings (Crypto). |
| The padlock still shows "Not secure" | The certificate may be fine, but the page loads images or scripts over http://. See Website shows "Not secure" or an SSL certificate error. |
Installing it yourself
You only need this for a site hosted elsewhere, or if you manage your own certificate files.
- In the Client Area, open the certificate and click Retrieve Certificate. You'll get the certificate (.crt) and the CA bundle (the intermediate certificates).
- You also need the private key that was created with your CSR. It stays wherever the CSR was made. We can't download it for you.
- Install all three on your server or with your host. In cPanel: SSL/TLS > Manage SSL sites, choose the domain, paste the certificate, click Autofill by Certificate, check the key and CA bundle are filled in, then click Install Certificate.
Plesk: go to Websites & Domains > SSL/TLS Certificates, upload the certificate, private key and the CA certificate, then select the new certificate in the domain's Hosting Settings (or Hosting & DNS) so the site uses it. In Plesk the CA certificate is optional on upload. Skip it and some browsers and apps will report a chain error.
Do you use Hub for Teams or Liberation Email only? You don't need to buy a certificate. They already use ours.
