How to Install an SSL Certificate on Hostinger in 2026

1. What Is an SSL Certificate?

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. Although modern secure connections use TLS (Transport Layer Security), the term SSL certificate is still commonly used when discussing website security.

An SSL/TLS certificate helps establish an encrypted connection between a browser and a web server. It also allows the browser to verify that the certificate was issued for the domain being visited.

HTTP vs HTTPS

Why does your website need SSL?

• Encrypts connections: Helps protect information submitted through forms and other website features.
• Builds visitor confidence: Visitors can see that the website uses a valid secure connection.
• Supports secure transactions: HTTPS is essential for protecting connections to login pages, checkout pages, and other sensitive areas.
• Supports SEO: HTTPS is a lightweight ranking signal and is generally the preferred version of a website.

2. Does Hostinger Provide Free SSL?

Yes. Hostinger includes free Lifetime SSL certificates with its Web, Cloud, and Agency hosting plans. These certificates are available for eligible domains and subdomains hosted on Hostinger.

When you add a domain or subdomain to an eligible hosting plan, Hostinger normally installs its Lifetime SSL certificate automatically. The certificate renews automatically while the website remains hosted with Hostinger and the domain continues to meet the installation requirements.

Hostinger SSL availability

Hostinger Lifetime SSL is designed for websites hosted on Hostinger. It cannot be downloaded and transferred to another hosting provider or installed on a separate server.

For more information, see Hostinger's free SSL certificate guide.

3. What to Check Before Installing SSL on Hostinger

Before installing a certificate, confirm that your domain and hosting configuration are ready. SSL validation can fail if the domain does not point to the correct server.

Make sure your domain is added to Hostinger

Your website's domain or subdomain must be added to the appropriate hosting plan. If your website is hosted elsewhere and only the domain is registered with Hostinger, the SSL certificate needs to be managed by the provider hosting the website.

Point your domain to Hostinger

Depending on your domain setup, you may need to update nameservers or DNS records. Your domain must resolve to the correct Hostinger hosting environment before the certificate can be issued.

Wait for DNS propagation

If you recently changed nameservers or DNS records, allow time for the changes to propagate. Hostinger recommends allowing up to 24 hours in relevant SSL troubleshooting cases.

Check the website's status

If you use Hostinger AI Website Builder, make sure the website has been published. Its SSL certificate is managed automatically and activates after publishing.

Prepare your WordPress website

If you are using WordPress, make sure you know your current website address and whether it uses HTTP or HTTPS. You will need to check the WordPress Address and Site Address after enabling SSL.

4. How to Check Your SSL Status on Hostinger

Before installing a new certificate, check whether Hostinger has already installed one automatically.

1. Log in to your Hostinger hPanel account.
2. Open the Websites section.
3. Find the website you want to secure and click Manage site.
4. Search for SSL in the sidebar and open the SSL management page.
5. Find your domain or subdomain and review its certificate status.

Understand the SSL status

If the status is Installing, allow the process to finish before attempting another installation. Hostinger's automatic installation may take up to one or two hours in some cases.

5. How to Install Free Lifetime SSL on Hostinger

Hostinger normally installs free Lifetime SSL automatically for eligible domains and subdomains. If automatic installation has not completed or you need to reinstall the certificate, you can use the SSL settings in hPanel.

Method 1: Automatic SSL installation

When you add a domain or subdomain to an eligible Web, Cloud, or Agency hosting plan, Hostinger starts the SSL installation process automatically.

1. Make sure your domain or subdomain is added to your hosting plan.
2. Point the domain to Hostinger using the required nameservers or DNS records.
3. Wait for DNS propagation and certificate validation.
4. Open hPanel and check the SSL section for the certificate status.
5. Once the status changes to Active, test your website using HTTPS.

Method 2: Manually install Lifetime SSL

If the certificate is not installed automatically, follow these steps for a supported WordPress, PHP, HTML, or other file-based website.

1. Log in to Hostinger hPanel.
2. Open Websites and select Manage site for the domain.
3. Search for SSL in the sidebar and open the SSL settings.
4. Find the domain or subdomain that needs a certificate.
5. Click Install SSL if the option is available.
6. Wait for the installation to complete and the status to become Active.
7. Open the website using HTTPS to confirm the certificate works.

What if the automatic installation fails?

First confirm that the domain points to Hostinger and that DNS propagation has completed. Check for conflicting DNS records and then retry the installation if necessary. The troubleshooting section below explains these checks in more detail.

6. How to Install a Custom SSL Certificate on Hostinger

If you purchased an SSL certificate from another certificate provider, you may be able to import it through Hostinger hPanel. This process is different from installing Hostinger's free Lifetime SSL.

Custom SSL installation is intended for supported file-based websites, such as WordPress and PHP/HTML websites. Hostinger Website Builder does not support manual custom SSL installation through this workflow.

What files do you need?

Your SSL provider will normally supply the certificate files or their contents. These commonly include:

• Certificate: The public SSL certificate, often supplied as a .crt or .pem file.
• Private Key: The private key associated with the certificate, often supplied as a .key file.
• CA Bundle: The certificate authority bundle containing the required intermediate certificates.

Step 1: Check the existing SSL certificate

Open Hostinger hPanel → Websites → Manage site → SSL. Check whether the domain already has an SSL certificate installed.

Step 2: Uninstall the existing certificate if required

If Hostinger requires you to remove the existing certificate before importing a custom one, click the options menu beside the relevant domain or subdomain and select Uninstall.

Only remove a certificate when you are ready to replace it. An invalid or missing certificate can cause HTTPS connection errors.

Step 3: Open Import SSL

On the SSL management page, select Import SSL. Choose the correct domain or subdomain from the available list.

Step 4: Enter the certificate details

Open each certificate file using a text editor and copy its complete contents into the matching field:

• Paste the public certificate into the Certificate field.
• Paste the matching private key into the Private Key field.
• Paste the certificate authority bundle into the CA Bundle field, if supplied or required.

Step 5: Install the custom certificate

Review the selected domain and pasted certificate information. Click Install SSL and wait for Hostinger to process the certificate.

Step 6: Verify the certificate

Open your website using HTTPS and check that the browser recognizes the certificate. If it is not valid, confirm that the certificate matches the domain, the private key is correct, and the certificate has not expired.

For detailed instructions, read Hostinger's custom SSL installation guide.

7. How to Enable HTTPS on Hostinger

Installing an SSL certificate and forcing HTTPS are related but separate steps. The certificate provides the secure connection, while HTTPS redirection sends visitors from the HTTP version of your website to the HTTPS version.

On Hostinger Web and Cloud hosting plans, HTTPS is enabled by default after an SSL certificate is installed. If you need to check or change the setting, follow these steps.

Step 1: Open SSL settings

1. Log in to Hostinger hPanel.
2. Open Websites and find the relevant domain.
3. Click Manage site.
4. Search for SSL in the sidebar.
5. Open the SSL management page.

Step 2: Find Force HTTPS

Locate the domain or subdomain in the SSL list. Open the options menu beside it.

Step 3: Enable Force HTTPS

If the option is available, select Force HTTPS. This makes visitors using the HTTP address redirect to the secure HTTPS version.

Step 4: Test the redirect

Open the HTTP version of your website in a browser. Confirm that it redirects to HTTPS and that the secure version loads without a certificate warning.

For more details, see Hostinger's HTTPS configuration guide.

8. How to Enable HTTPS on WordPress Hosted with Hostinger

If your website uses WordPress, installing SSL is only part of the process. You should also make sure WordPress uses the HTTPS version of your domain.

Step 1: Confirm that SSL is active

Before changing WordPress URLs, verify that your certificate status is Active in Hostinger hPanel. Open the HTTPS version of your website and confirm that the browser accepts the certificate.

Step 2: Update WordPress URLs

1. Log in to your WordPress Admin dashboard.
2. Go to Settings → General.
3. Find WordPress Address (URL).
4. Find Site Address (URL).
5. Change both addresses from http:// to https://, keeping the correct domain name.
6. Save the changes.

For example, if your current website address is:

the secure version should be:

Replace example.com with your actual domain. If your WordPress URLs are already managed through another configuration or hosting tool, check that setup before changing them manually.

Step 3: Force HTTPS

Use Hostinger's Force HTTPS option if it is available for your hosting plan. This helps ensure that visitors who enter the HTTP address are redirected to HTTPS.

Step 4: Fix mixed content warnings

Mixed content happens when an HTTPS page tries to load resources using HTTP. For example, an image, stylesheet, JavaScript file, or font may still use an insecure URL.

Check your WordPress images, theme settings, page builder content, and plugin-generated links. Update old HTTP resource URLs to HTTPS where appropriate.

Step 5: Clear caches and test

Clear WordPress, hosting, CDN, and browser caches if necessary. Test your homepage, internal pages, images, forms, and important website features.

9. How to Verify Your SSL Certificate

After installing SSL and enabling HTTPS, verify that your website is using a valid certificate.

Check the website in your browser

1. Open a private or incognito browser window.
2. Enter your website address beginning with https://.
3. Check whether the page loads without a security warning.
4. Click the browser's connection or site information indicator.
5. Review the certificate information if you need to inspect its validity.

Check both domain versions

Test both the root domain and the www version if your website supports them:

Both versions should be covered by the certificate and resolve to the intended website if you use both addresses.

Check HTTP redirection

Enter the HTTP version of your domain and confirm that it redirects to the HTTPS version. This helps avoid visitors accessing an unsecured version of the website.

Check for mixed content

If the browser accepts the certificate but still reports insecure content, inspect the page for resources loaded through HTTP. Correct those URLs and clear the relevant caches.

10. How to Fix Common SSL Errors on Hostinger

SSL installation does not always complete successfully on the first attempt. Domain configuration, DNS records, certificate settings, or website redirects can cause problems.

Problem 1: SSL installation failed

If Hostinger shows a Failed or Inactive status, first check whether your domain points to Hostinger. Confirm that the DNS records are correct and allow time for propagation.

Hostinger's troubleshooting documentation also recommends checking conflicting DNS records and domain requirements before reinstalling the certificate.

Problem 2: Your connection is not private

This browser warning can appear when the certificate is missing, expired, invalid, or does not match the domain. It can also happen while DNS changes are still propagating.

• Check the certificate status in hPanel.
• Confirm that the domain points to the correct hosting server.
• Check that the certificate covers the domain you are opening.
• Try an incognito window after the installation completes.

Problem 3: ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR

This error means the browser could not establish a secure connection with the server. Check that the certificate is active, that the domain points correctly to Hostinger, and that DNS propagation is complete.

If you use a Hostinger Lifetime SSL certificate on a supported file-based website and it has failed, Hostinger may recommend uninstalling and reinstalling it after correcting the domain configuration.

Problem 4: ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS

This error can happen when multiple settings create conflicting redirects between HTTP and HTTPS. Check:

• WordPress Address and Site Address settings.
• Hostinger Force HTTPS settings.
• Redirect rules in .htaccess.
• Cloudflare SSL/TLS mode, if you use Cloudflare.
• Redirect rules configured by WordPress plugins.

Temporarily identify and correct the conflicting redirect rather than adding more redirect rules.

Problem 5: SSL is active but the website still shows Not Secure

This can indicate mixed content. Check images, scripts, stylesheets, fonts, and embedded resources that still load over HTTP. Update those references to HTTPS where the resource supports it.

Problem 6: SSL is not active after adding a domain

Check that the domain is added to the correct hosting plan, points to Hostinger, and has completed DNS propagation. For Hostinger AI Builder, confirm that the website has been published.

Problem 7: Cloudflare is interfering with SSL installation

If you use Cloudflare, Hostinger may recommend temporarily switching the relevant DNS record to DNS only while the Lifetime SSL certificate is being installed. Once the certificate is Active, you can review and restore the appropriate proxy configuration.

11. Frequently Asked Questions