Activating HTTPS for a domain on Hostinger means turning on the SSL certificate that encrypts traffic between your site and its visitors. You can do this from the hPanel dashboard in about 5 minutes, as long as your domain is already pointed to Hostinger’s nameservers. Hostinger includes a free SSL certificate (powered by Let’s Encrypt) on every hosting plan, so you won’t pay extra for this step.
This guide covers finding the SSL settings in hPanel, activating the certificate, and verifying it works across your entire site.
Quick summary
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Time required | 5-10 minutes |
| Difficulty | Beginner |
| What you need | An active Hostinger hosting account with a domain connected to it; access to hPanel; your domain pointed to Hostinger’s nameservers |
| What you will achieve | A working HTTPS connection on your domain, visible as a padlock icon in browsers |
Before you start
You need a few things ready before you begin the activation. Skipping any of these can cause the SSL certificate to fail or not apply correctly.
- An active Hostinger hosting plan. The free SSL certificate is available on Shared Hosting, Cloud Hosting, and VPS plans. If you’re on a trial account or an expired plan, the SSL option won’t appear.
- Your domain connected to Hostinger. The domain must be either registered through Hostinger or pointed to Hostinger’s nameservers (ns1.hostinger.net and ns2.hostinger.net). If your domain uses third-party nameservers, HTTPS activation will fail at the domain verification step.
- The domain must resolve to your Hostinger account. You can check this by visiting your domain in a browser. If you see a “coming soon” page or a placeholder, the domain is connected properly. If you see a blank page or an error from another host, the DNS records need updating first.
- No existing SSL certificate from another provider. If you already have a third-party SSL certificate installed on the same domain through hPanel, remove it first. Two certificates for the same domain cause conflicts. Hostinger’s system handles this automatically most of the time, but it’s worth checking if you run into errors.
Warning: Do not start this process if your domain is still showing the Hostinger temporary domain (like yourusername.hostingerapp.com). The SSL certificate only works with a real domain name. Wait until your custom domain is connected and showing content before activating HTTPS.
How to activate HTTPS for domain on Hostinger, step by step
The entire process happens inside hPanel. You do not need to touch any code, edit configuration files, or use the command line.
Step 1: Log in to your Hostinger account
Go to hostinger.com and click “Sign In” in the top-right corner. Enter your email address and password. You land on the main dashboard automatically after logging in.
If you use Google or Facebook login, choose that option instead. Either method works the same way.
Step 2: Open hPanel for the correct domain
From the dashboard, find the “Websites” section on the left sidebar. Click it to see a list of your active hosting plans and domains. Each website entry shows the domain name, the hosting plan type, and a status indicator.
Click the “Manage” button next to the domain you want to secure with HTTPS. This opens the hPanel for that specific website.
If you only have one hosting plan, you’ll see a single entry. If you have multiple domains, make sure you pick the right one. Activating SSL on the wrong domain wastes time and can cause a brief downtime during the certificate switch.
Step 3: Go to the SSL section
Inside hPanel, look at the left sidebar menu. Scroll down until you see a section labeled “Security” or look for the “SSL” icon directly. The exact menu label can vary slightly between different hPanel versions, but it’s almost always under the Security heading.
Click “SSL” or “SSL Certificate.” The SSL management page opens, showing the current status of your domain’s certificate.
You should see a message that says something like “No SSL certificate installed” or “Inactive.” If you see “Active” and a padlock icon next to your domain, HTTPS is already working. You can skip the rest of this guide.
Step 4: Select the free SSL option
On the SSL management page, you see two main choices: “Free SSL Certificate” and “Custom Certificate” (sometimes called “Upload Certificate”). The free option is powered by Let’s Encrypt and requires no payment or manual file upload.
Click the button or tab labeled “Free SSL Certificate.” A brief description appears, usually explaining that this certificate auto-renews and covers your main domain plus the www subdomain.
Do not select the custom certificate option unless you purchased an SSL certificate from a third-party provider like Comodo or DigiCert and have the certificate files ready to upload. For most cases, the free certificate is sufficient.
Step 5: Activate the certificate
After selecting the free SSL option, you see a button to install or activate the certificate. It might say “Install,” “Activate,” “Enable,” or “Add SSL.” Click that button.
A confirmation popup or a processing screen appears. Hostinger’s system begins several automated checks:
- It verifies that your domain is pointed to Hostinger’s servers
- It confirms that no other SSL certificate is currently active
- It communicates with Let’s Encrypt’s servers to request the certificate
Wait time: This process takes up to 5 minutes. During this time, your site may load without the padlock or become briefly inaccessible. Do not refresh the page or navigate away from the SSL management screen.
Let the process complete on its own.
If you see a “Domain verification failed” error message, it usually means your domain is still pointed to another host’s nameservers. You need to update the nameservers first and wait for DNS propagation (which can take up to 24 hours) before trying again.
Step 6: Check the certificate status
Once the activation finishes, the SSL management page updates to show a green “Active” status next to your domain. The certificate details appear, including the issue date, expiry date (90 days from activation), and the domains covered.
Hostinger’s free Let’s Encrypt certificate auto-renews before it expires, so you don’t need to repeat this process every 90 days. The system checks automatically and renews the certificate when it’s close to expiring.
If you see “Active” but the padlock still doesn’t show in your browser, check that HTTPS redirection is turned on. That’s covered in the next step.
Step 7: Enable HTTPS redirection (important)
An active SSL certificate is not enough by itself. Your site still loads over HTTP unless you tell it to force HTTPS for every visitor. Without this step, some users might land on the unencrypted version of your site, and browsers will show a “Not Secure” warning.
In the same SSL management section, look for a toggle or checkbox labeled “Force HTTPS,” “HTTPS Redirect,” or “Auto-Redirect HTTP to HTTPS.” Turn it on.
When this setting is active, any visitor who types http://yourdomain.com or navigates to the old HTTP address gets automatically sent to https://yourdomain.com. The padlock shows consistently across all pages.
Warning: After enabling HTTPS redirection, test your site thoroughly. Some pages might load broken elements (missing images, broken CSS styles, or non-functional forms) if they contain hardcoded HTTP links. This is a common issue with older websites or sites built with page builders that store full URLs in the database.
Step 8: Clear your browser cache and test
Open a new incognito or private browsing window. Type your domain name (including the https:// prefix) into the address bar. Hit Enter.
Look at the address bar. You should see a padlock icon. Click the padlock to view the certificate details.
It should show “Connection is secure” and the issuer as “Let’s Encrypt” or “R3.”
Visit several pages on your site. Click internal links, scroll through blog posts, and check contact forms. The padlock should remain visible on every page.
If the padlock appears on the homepage but disappears on other pages, that page likely contains mixed content, unencrypted images, scripts, or iframes loaded via HTTP instead of HTTPS. You’ll need to fix those individual page elements.
Step 9: Update your site URLs (for existing sites)
If your website was already running before you activated HTTPS, you might need to update the site URL settings in your content management system. This is not required for new sites, but it is critical for sites that were built under HTTP.
For WordPress users:
Go to Settings > General in your WordPress admin area. Look for “WordPress Address (URL)” and “Site Address (URL).” Both fields should start with https:// instead of http://. Change them if they still show HTTP.
Save the changes. WordPress updates all internal URLs automatically after this change.
For sites built with other CMS or static HTML:
You need to search your database or code for hardcoded http://yourdomain.com references and replace them with https://yourdomain.com. Plugins like Better Search Replace (WordPress) can help with database replacements.
Skip this step if your site is brand new and has always loaded under HTTPS from the start.
What to do if something goes wrong
SSL activation usually works without issues, but a few problems can pop up. Here are the most common ones.
Problem: Domain verification fails during activation
The SSL certificate cannot be issued because your domain is not confirmed to be under your control. This happens most often when your domain is still using another host’s nameservers.
Fix: Check your domain’s nameservers through your domain registrar’s control panel. They must point to ns1.hostinger.net and ns2.hostinger.net. Update them if needed, then wait for DNS propagation.
Hostinger’s help center suggests waiting 24 hours for DNS changes to spread globally before retrying the SSL activation.
Problem: Certificate shows Active, but the padlock does not appear
The certificate is installed correctly, but your site is still serving pages over HTTP instead of HTTPS. Usually this means the HTTPS redirection toggle is off.
Fix: Go back to the SSL management page in hPanel and check that “Force HTTPS” or “HTTPS Redirect” is enabled. After enabling it, clear your browser cache and test again. If the issue persists, check for a caching plugin on your site that might be serving old HTTP cached pages, clear the cache from the plugin as well.
Problem: Mixed content warnings across the site
Some elements on your site still load over HTTP, causing the browser to show a “Not Fully Secure” warning even though the URL starts with HTTPS. Images, scripts, and iframes are the usual culprits.
Fix: For WordPress sites, install a plugin like “Really Simple SSL” that handles mixed content fixes automatically. For other sites, manually update each hardcoded HTTP URL in your code or database to use HTTPS. Use the browser’s developer tools (F12) and look at the Console tab, it lists every mixed content warning by filename and line number, which tells you exactly what to fix.
Problem: Certificate did not auto-renew
This is rare with Hostinger’s free SSL, but it can happen if your domain expires, your hosting plan is suspended, or the DNS records change.
Fix: Log into hPanel and go to the SSL management section. If the certificate shows “Expired,” click the “Renew” or “Install” button to trigger a new certificate request. The process is identical to the initial activation.
After renewal, check that the auto-renew toggle is still enabled.
What happens next
Once HTTPS is active and working, your site benefits from encrypted connections immediately. Search engines like Google treat HTTPS as a ranking signal, so you might see a slight improvement in search visibility over time. Visitors see the padlock icon and feel safer submitting forms, making purchases, or logging in.
The free Let’s Encrypt certificate auto-renews every 90 days, so you do not need to revisit the SSL settings manually each quarter. Hostinger’s system handles the renewal in the background as long as your hosting account remains active.
If you are running an online store or handling sensitive user data, the free certificate is sufficient for standard security needs. For higher validation levels (like an Extended Validation certificate that shows your company name in the address bar), you would need to upload a paid third-party certificate through the “Custom Certificate” option in hPanel.
For most personal sites, blogs, small businesses, and even WooCommerce stores, the free Let’s Encrypt SSL provides the same encryption strength as paid certificates. The main difference is the validation level and the warranty (paid certificates sometimes include a warranty for financial losses due to certificate misissuance).
Now that your site runs on HTTPS, you might want to take care of the other domain settings to make sure everything points where it should. Double-check your DNS records if you moved to Hostinger recently.
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Frequently asked questions
Does Hostinger include a free SSL certificate with every plan?
Yes. Every Hostinger hosting plan includes a free SSL certificate powered by Let’s Encrypt. This covers Shared Hosting, Cloud Hosting, VPS, and WordPress hosting plans.
The only exception is the free trial account, which does not include SSL activation.
How long does it take for the SSL certificate to activate?
The activation typically completes within 5 minutes. In some cases, especially if DNS propagation is still in progress, it can take up to 30 minutes. If the activation screen shows no progress after 15 minutes, refresh the page and try again.
Do I need to renew the free SSL certificate manually?
No. The Let’s Encrypt certificate installed through Hostinger auto-renews before it expires. As long as your hosting account is active and your domain is pointed to Hostinger’s nameservers, the renewal happens in the background.
You can verify the renewal by checking the expiry date in hPanel’s SSL section.
Can I install an SSL certificate from another provider instead?
Yes. In the SSL management section, choose “Custom Certificate” instead of “Free SSL Certificate.” You need to provide the certificate file, the private key, and the CA bundle (intermediate certificate). This option is for users who purchased an SSL certificate from another vendor or need a Wildcard certificate that covers all subdomains.
Will activating HTTPS affect my site’s performance?
HTTPS adds a small overhead because of the encryption handshake, but the impact is minimal with modern servers and browsers. Hostinger’s servers handle SSL termination efficiently, and most users notice no difference in load times. The security benefits and SEO advantages outweigh the negligible performance cost.
What happens if the auto-renewal fails?
If the certificate expires, your site will still load, but visitors will see a “Not Secure” warning in their browser, and the padlock will disappear. To fix this, go to hPanel’s SSL management section and manually install the free certificate again. Check that your domain is still pointed to Hostinger’s nameservers and that your hosting plan is active.
Does the free SSL work for subdomains?
The standard free SSL certificate covers your main domain (yourdomain.com) and the www subdomain (www.yourdomain.com). If you need SSL for additional subdomains like blog.yourdomain.com or shop.yourdomain.com, you need a Wildcard SSL certificate, which is not available through the free option.
Should I configure any other settings after activating HTTPS?
Enable HTTPS redirection (Force HTTPS) so all visitors are redirected from HTTP to HTTPS automatically. If you are using WordPress, update the Site URL settings in wp-admin to use HTTPS. Clear your site cache and browser cache afterward.
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