SSL Installation Instructions

The following instructions will guide you through the SSL installation process on Mac OS X El Capitan (v.10.11). 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. Launch the Mac OS El Capitan (v10.11) Server App.
  3. From the Finder window, under Favorites, select Applications, then Utilities, and click Keychain Access.
  4. From the Keychain Access window, under Keychains, select System.
  5. Drag-and-drop the Intermediate Certificates (.cer or .crt) file into the System folder.
  6. Enter the Administrator’s Password and click Modify Keychain.
  7. From the Finder window, under Favorites, select Applications and then Server.
  8. From the Server App window, under Choose a Mac, select one of the following options to determine which server to install the SSL Certificate on.
    • To install the SSL Certificate on the current server:
      • Click This Mac – YourServerName and click Continue.
      • Enter the Administrator Name and Password and click Allow.
    • To install the SSL Certificate on another server:
      • Click Other Mac – YourOtherServerName and click Continue.
      • Enter your Host Name and IP Address.
      • Enter the Administrator Name and Password and click Allow.


  10. From the Server App window, under Server, click Certificates.
  11. From the Certificate page, select the Pending certificate that you created during the CSR generation process.

  13. In the Certificates page, in the Drag files received from your certificate vendor here box, drag-and-drop Your Server Certificate (.crt or .cer) and click Ok.


  15. From the Server App window, under Server, click Certificates.
  16. In the Certificates page, click the Secure services using dropdown, and click Custom.
  17. From the Service Certificates window, in your Certificate List, choose Your Server Certificate each service (e.g. file sharing, mail, websites, etc) should use to secure communications, then click OK.

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.