How to install an SSL certificate for a domain in Plesk (Let's Encrypt / other certificate authorities)

Note: Before securing a domain with a Let's Encrypt certificate, make sure the domain name is resolved to a public IP address of the Plesk server from the Internet. If in doubt, check your domain name availability using DNS Lookup by MxToolBox.

1. Log in to Plesk.

2. Go to Domains and select the domain you want to secure. Click Hosting Settings.

3. On the Hosting Settings page, make sure that SSL/TLS support is enabled.

   
   
   
   

4. Go back to domain's dashboard. Click SSL/TLS Certificates.

   
   
   
   

5. Click get it free in the Let's Encrypt section.

   
   
   
   

6. Select required options. We recommend to select:

   • Include the "www" subdomain for the domain and each selected alias

   • Secure webmail on this domain (https://webmail.example.com)

   • Assign the certificate to mail domain

   Note: Email address will be used to receive important notifications and warnings.

   
   
   
   

7. Click Get it free. At this stage, an SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt is generated and set to secure the domain. This certificate is valid for the next 90 days and will be auto-renewed by the Let's Encrypt extension. 

   To learn more about free SSL certificates, check the following Plesk Docs pages:

   • Getting Free SSL/TLS Certificate from Let's Encrypt
   • Getting Free Wildcard SSL/TLS Certificates from Let's Encrypt

First of all, you should have a purchased SSL certificate for your website on hands. If you don't have a certificate, you can use a free certificate issued by Let's Encrypt (see instructions above).

Note: It is possible to use Plesk for generating CSR (Certificate Signing Request) for your certificate. For that, navigate to Domains > example.com > SSL Certificates, fill in the required fields and click Request. Such certificate will be Self-Signed and not valid for checks.

1. Log in to Plesk.

2. Go to Domains > example.com > SSL/TLS Certificates > Advanced Settings.

3. On the SSL/TLS Certificates page, add your certificate:

   Note: If you are experiencing issues with a certificate installation, contact your certificate seller and ask for certificate installation instructions for Plesk.

   • If an SSL certificate is stored in a single *.crt file:

     Click Browse... to select a certificate file. Then click Upload Certificate.

     
     
     
     

   • If an SSL certificate is stored in the form of *.key and *.crt files:

     Click Add SSL/TLS Certificate and scroll down to the Upload the certificate files section and upload these files. If both the certificate and the private key parts of your certificate are contained in a *.pem file (you can check it by opening the *.pem file in any text editor), just upload it twice, both as the private key and the certificate. Click Upload Certificate once finished.

     
     
     
     

   • If an SSL certificate is stored as a text:

     Click Add SSL/TLS Certificate and scroll down to the Upload the certificate as text section. There, paste the certificate and the private key parts into the corresponding fields. Click Upload Certificate when you have finished.

     
     
     
     

4. Once the certificate is created, go to Domains > example.com > Hosting Settings and:

   • enable SSL support

   • select your created SSL certificate click OK

   
   
   
   

5. Open your website at https://example.com.

   Note: In case of any issues, make sure that the certificate was properly selected.