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Installing SSL Certificate on Domain in cPanel

Securing your website with a commercial SSL certificate in cPanel provides trusted encryption for visitor data and improves search engine rankings. This guide covers SSL installation for a single domain using the cPanel web interface.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

• • cPanel access for your hosting account
  • SSL certificate files (.crt, .key, ca-bundle)
  • Domain properly configured in cPanel

SSL Certificate Installation

Access cPanel:

https://yourdomain.com/cpanel
# or
https://your-server-ip/cpanel

Upload SSL Certificate:

1. 1. Login to cPanel
   2. Navigate to Security section
   3. Click SSL/TLS
   4. Click Manage SSL sites
   5. Select your domain from the dropdown
   6. Paste your certificate files:
      • Certificate (CRT): Paste contents of your .crt file
      • Private Key (KEY): Paste contents of your .key file
      • Certificate Authority Bundle (CABUNDLE): Paste contents of ca-bundle file
   7. Click Install Certificate

Alternative Installation Method

Using Certificate Upload:

1. 1. In cPanel, go to SSL/TLS
   2. Click Certificates (CRT)
   3. Under Upload a New Certificate, paste your certificate
   4. Click Save Certificate
   5. Go to Private Keys (KEY)
   6. Under Upload a New Private Key, paste your private key
   7. Click Save Private Key
   8. Return to Manage SSL sites
   9. Select certificate and key from dropdowns
   10. Add CA Bundle if required
   11. Click Install Certificate

Enable SSL for Website

Force HTTPS Redirect:

1. 1. In cPanel, go to Domains section
   2. Click Redirects
   3. Select redirect type: Permanent (301)
   4. Choose domain from dropdown
   5. Leave path blank (/)
   6. In redirect URL enter: https://yourdomain.com/
   7. Check Wild Card Redirect
   8. Click Add

Alternative Redirect Method:

1. 1. Go to File Manager
   2. Navigate to your domain’s public_html folder
   3. Edit .htaccess file (create if doesn’t exist)
   4. Add these lines at the top:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

1. 5. Save the file

Security Enhancements

Add Security Headers via .htaccess:

1. 1. Go to File Manager
   2. Edit your domain’s .htaccess file in public_html
   3. Add these security headers:

<IfModule mod_headers.c>
Header always set Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains"
Header always set X-Content-Type-Options nosniff
Header always set X-Frame-Options SAMEORIGIN
Header always set X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block"
</IfModule>

1. 4. Save the file

Verify SSL Installation

Check SSL Status in cPanel:

1. 1. Go to SSL/TLS → Manage SSL sites
   2. Your domain should show Certificate installed
   3. Check expiration date and issuer information

Testing

Verify your SSL installation by:

• Use our My SSL Pro SSL Checker tool at https://mysslpro.com/tools/ssl-certificate-url-checker
• Testing HTTPS access: https://yourdomain.com
• Checking certificate details in browser (click lock icon)
• Verifying redirect from HTTP to HTTPS
• Using online SSL checker tools for validation

Your domain now supports secure HTTPS connections with your commercial SSL certificate properly installed and configured in cPanel.