SSL Certificates: Activating a Purchased Certificate or Installing One Bought Elsewhere

Our How to Install a Free SSL Certificate guide covers the free AutoSSL certificate that GrabbyHost includes on hosting plans. This guide covers the other two situations: activating an SSL certificate you purchased through GrabbyHost (GrabbyStart, GrabbyPro, GrabbyWildcard or GrabbyElite EV), and installing a certificate you bought from a different provider.

Activating a GrabbyHost-Purchased SSL Certificate

When you order an SSL certificate through GrabbyHost, the certificate authority needs to validate that you control the domain before it can issue the certificate.

1. Complete your order on the SSL Certificates page and choose the validation and coverage level you need (Domain Validation, Wildcard, or Extended Validation).
2. Complete domain validation when prompted. DV certificates are usually validated automatically by email or a DNS/file check; EV certificates require you to submit verified business documentation, which takes longer.
3. Once the certificate authority issues the certificate, it's typically installed for you, or you'll be guided through installing it on your hosting account — check your order status and any emails from the certificate authority for next steps.
4. Verify HTTPS is working by visiting your site with https:// in front of the domain and checking for the padlock icon.

Billing term and certificate validity aren't always the same thing — your subscription can run longer than an individual certificate's validity period, in which case the certificate is reissued during your subscription. If a certificate needs manual installation and you're not sure whether that's the case for your order, open a support ticket and we'll confirm.

Installing a Certificate You Bought Elsewhere

If you purchased an SSL certificate from a different provider, you'll typically have three pieces to install: the certificate itself (.crt), your private key, and a CA bundle / intermediate certificate chain. Where you install these depends on your control panel.

On cPanel

1. Log in to cPanel and open SSL/TLS under the Security section (search "ssl" in cPanel's search box if you don't see it).
2. Go to Manage SSL Sites or use Upload a New Certificate to paste in or upload your certificate file, making sure to include the full -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- / -----END CERTIFICATE----- block.
3. Paste your private key into the Private Key field, and paste your CA bundle / intermediate certificate into the Certificate Authority Bundle field — this step is what lets browsers trust the full certificate chain, so don't skip it.
4. Select the domain the certificate covers and click Install Certificate, then confirm.

On DirectAdmin

1. Log in to DirectAdmin and open the SSL Certificates section.
2. Choose the option to paste or upload a pre-existing certificate rather than requesting a new free one.
3. Paste in your certificate, private key, and CA/intermediate bundle in the fields provided, then save.
4. Confirm the certificate is active against the correct domain.

Verifying It Worked

Visit your website using https:// and check for the padlock icon in your browser's address bar. If you see a certificate warning, double-check that the certificate matches the domain exactly (including www vs. non-www) and that the CA bundle was included — a missing intermediate bundle is the most common cause of "not trusted" warnings even when the certificate itself is valid.

Not Sure Which Situation Applies to You?

If you're not sure whether your certificate needs manual installation, or you'd rather have us handle the cPanel/DirectAdmin steps, open a support ticket with your certificate files ready (or your order reference if you bought through GrabbyHost) and our team can install it for you.

Related Articles

• How to Install a Free SSL Certificate
• How to Force HTTPS on Your Website
• cPanel Features Guide: Everything You Can Do in cPanel
• DirectAdmin Features Guide: Everything You Can Do in DirectAdmin