How to Install a Free SSL Certificate via AutoSSL in cPanel

An SSL certificate encrypts the connection between your website and your visitors, displaying the crucial "padlock" icon in the browser and ensuring your URL begins with https://. Without it, browsers will flag your site as "Not Secure," which damages trust and hurts your Google search rankings. On Hostinap, every domain on our Shared and Business Hosting plans receives a free SSL certificate automatically via AutoSSL.

How AutoSSL Works

You generally do not need to do anything to install an SSL certificate. Once you point your domain's nameservers to Hostinap, our servers run a background check every few hours. When it detects a new domain pointing to our IP, it automatically requests and installs a free SSL certificate.

However, if your site is still showing "Not Secure" after 24 hours, you can force the system to run the check immediately.

Step 1: Check if the Domain is Pointing Correctly

AutoSSL cannot issue a certificate if your domain is not pointing to Hostinap's servers. If you just registered the domain or changed nameservers, you must wait for DNS propagation to finish first.

Step 2: Run AutoSSL Manually in cPanel

1. Log in to your cPanel dashboard.
2. Scroll down to the Security section and click SSL/TLS Status.
3. You will see a list of your domains. Domains with a green padlock already have an active SSL. Domains with a red warning do not.
4. Click the blue Run AutoSSL button at the top of the page.
5. The page will reload and show "AutoSSL is in progress." Do not navigate away.
6. Wait 5 to 15 minutes and refresh the page. The red warnings should turn into green padlocks.

Step 3: Force HTTPS Redirect

Even if the SSL is installed, visitors might still access the insecure http:// version if they type the URL manually. You need to force all traffic to https://.

• If you use WordPress: Go to Settings > General in your WordPress admin, and change both URL fields from http:// to https://. Save changes.
• If you use a custom HTML/PHP site: Go to cPanel > Domains. Look for the "Force HTTPS Redirect" toggle switch next to your domain and turn it ON.

Troubleshooting: The SSL is active but the padlock is still broken?

If cPanel shows a green padlock but your website still says "Not Secure", you have a Mixed Content Error. This means your site is loading secure HTTPS code, but some images or scripts are still hardcoded to the old HTTP links. See our guide on how to fix mixed content errors.