cPanel SSL Beginner

SSL/TLS in cPanel: install, check, and renew

Manage SSL certificates in cPanel: check status with SSL/TLS Status, run AutoSSL, install a manual certificate, and fix domains not covered by SSL.

UnderHost NOC Network Operations

5 min read Updated June 2026

On this page

Check SSL status
Run AutoSSL
Install a certificate
Domain not covered by SSL

cPanel's SSL/TLS tools let you check which domains have valid certificates, run AutoSSL to provision new ones, install paid certificates, and manage existing certificates-all without needing technical knowledge of SSL infrastructure.

Check SSL certificate status

Log in to cPanel
Go to Security → SSL/TLS Status

This page lists every domain and subdomain on your account with their certificate status:

Status	Meaning
✓ Certificate Valid	SSL is installed and currently valid
⚠ Expiring Soon	Certificate will expire within 30 days-AutoSSL will renew it
✗ Domain Not Covered	No valid certificate-run AutoSSL to provision one
✗ DCV Failed	AutoSSL could not verify domain ownership-usually a DNS issue

Run AutoSSL

AutoSSL provisions free Let's Encrypt certificates for all eligible domains. It runs automatically daily, but you can trigger it manually:

Go to Security → SSL/TLS Status
Click Run AutoSSL
Wait a few minutes-refresh the page to see updated results

AutoSSL needs the domain's A record to resolve to this server. If DNS is still propagating after a domain add, wait and try again.

Install a certificate manually

Go to Security → SSL/TLS
Under Install and Manage SSL for your site (HTTPS), click Manage SSL sites
Select your domain from the dropdown
Paste the certificate, private key, and CA bundle (certificate chain) into the respective fields
Click Install Certificate

Your certificate provider sends you these three files when your certificate is issued. If you're using a paid certificate, ask your CA which format to use (PEM is standard for Apache/cPanel).

Domain not covered by SSL

If a domain shows "Not Covered" and AutoSSL fails, check these common causes:

DNS not pointing to this server-AutoSSL verifies domain ownership over HTTP. If the domain resolves elsewhere, it can't validate. Update the A record and try AutoSSL again.
.htaccess redirect blocking validation-If HTTP traffic is being redirected before AutoSSL can access /.well-known/acme-challenge/, add an exception. Remove the HTTPS redirect temporarily if needed.
Domain uses Cloudflare proxy-AutoSSL works fine through Cloudflare. Ensure Cloudflare SSL mode is set to Full (Strict), not Flexible.
Rate limited-Let's Encrypt has certificate rate limits. If you've requested many certificates recently, wait a few hours and try again.