SSL Installation Instructions

The following instructions will guide you through the SSL installation process on Microsoft IIS 5 & 6. If you have more than one server or device, you will need to install the certificate on each server or device you need to secure. If you still have not generated your certificate and completed the validation process, reference our CSR Generation Instructions and disregard the steps below.

  1. Make sure you have all the following files saved before proceeding:
    • Your Server Certificate -  This is the certificate you received from the CA for your domain. You may have been sent this via email. If not, you can download it by visiting your Account Dashboard and clicking on your order.
    • Intermediate Certificates - These files allow the devices connecting to your server to identify the issuing CA. There may be more than one of these certificates. If you got your certificate in a ZIP folder, it should also contain the Intermediate certificate(s), which is sometimes referred to as a CA Bundle. If not, download the appropriate CA Bundle for your certificate.
    • Your Private Key - This file should be on your server, or in your possession if you generated your CSR from a free generator tool. On certain platforms, such as Microsoft IIS, the private key is not immediately visible to you but the server is keeping track of it.
  2. Click Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, and then select Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
  3. In the left menu, click + next to your local computer and then Web Sites.
  4. Right-click the website (i.e. Default Web Site) that you want to protect and click Properties.

  6. In the Default Web Site Properties window, select the Directory Security tab, click Server Certificate…, and then Next.

  7. Select Process the pending request and install the certificate and then click Next.

  9. Click Browse and locate Your Server Certificate (.crt or .cer) that you previously saved on your server desktop.


  10. Note: In the Open window, select "All files (*.*) for Files of type. This will help when searching for the .crt or .cer file.

  11. Click Next, Next, and Finish to complete the installation process.

Congratulations! You've successfully installed your SSL certificate! To check your work, visit the website in your browser at https://yourdomain.tld and view the certificate/site information to see if HTTPS/SSL is working properly. Remember, you may need to restart your server for changes to take effect.

To check your server's configurations more thoroughly, use our SSL Checker Tool or contact our Customer Experience Department for additional assistance.

Manual Intermediate Installation Instructions

If the intermediate certificates did not successfully install and configure themselves accordingly, please reference the instructions below on how to manually install them in Microsoft 5 & 6.

  1. Double click the previously saved Intermediate Certificate from your server's desktop and click Open.
  2. In the Certificate, under the General tab, click Install Certificate... to start the importation process and then click Next.

  3. Select Place all certificates in the following store and click Browse.

  4. Check the Show physical stores box.
  5. Expand the Intermediate Certification Authorities folder.
  6. Select Local Computer, click Ok, then Finish.

  8. Restart your Microsoft IIS server.