How to Add an SSL Certificate to IIS (Step By Step)

If you want to secure your website and enable HTTPS, you’ll need to add an SSL certificate to your IIS (Internet Information Services) web server.

An SSL certificate encrypts the connection between a user’s web browser and your web server, protecting sensitive data like passwords, credit card numbers, and personal information from being intercepted by hackers.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the step-by-step process to add SSL certificate to IIS.

Prerequisites

Before you begin the process to add an SSL certificate to IIS, make sure you have the following:

• A valid SSL certificate from a trusted Certificate Authority (CA)
• IIS 7 or later installed on your Windows Server
• Administrator access to the server

Step 1: Obtain an SSL Certificate

The first step to add an SSL certificate to IIS is to purchase a certificate from a reputable Certificate Authority (CA) such as:

• DigiCert
• Comodo
• GeoTrust
• Thawte
• Symantec

When purchasing your SSL certificate to add SSL certificate to IIS, you’ll need to provide the following information:

• Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of your website
• Organization name and address
• Contact email address
• CSR (Certificate Signing Request)

To generate a CSR when you want to add an SSL certificate to IIS:

1. Open IIS Manager
2. Select your website in the Connections pane
3. Double-click on “Server Certificates”
4. In the Actions pane, click “Create Certificate Request”
5. Fill out the form and click Next
6. Specify a file name and location to save the CSR
7. Submit the CSR to your chosen Certificate Authority

The CA will then validate your request and issue the SSL certificate. Download the certificate file which is used to add an SSL certificate to IIS.

Step 2: Install the SSL Certificate

Once you have your SSL certificate file, you’re ready to add an SSL certificate to IIS by installing it on your web server:

1. Open the IIS Manager
2. Click on your server name in the Connections pane
3. Double-click on “Server Certificates”
4. In the Actions pane, click “Complete Certificate Request”
5. Browse to the location of your SSL certificate file
6. Specify a Friendly Name to help identify the certificate
7. Select “Personal” for the Certificate Store
8. Click OK

Your SSL certificate is now installed and you’ve partially completed the process to add SSL certificate to IIS. However, it’s not yet bound to your website.

Step 3: Configure SSL Bindings

The final step to add an SSL certificate to IIS is to bind the certificate to your website using HTTP bindings. Here’s how:

1. Open IIS Manager and expand Sites in the Connections pane
2. Select the website you want to secure
3. In the Actions pane, click “Bindings”
4. Click “Add” to add a new binding
5. Select “https” as the Type
6. Select your SSL certificate from the “SSL Certificate” dropdown
7. Click OK
8. Close the Site Bindings window

Congratulations, you have now completed all the steps to add SSL certificate to IIS! Your website is now accessible via HTTPS.

Testing and Troubleshooting

After you add an SSL certificate to IIS, it’s important to test that everything is working properly. Open a web browser and navigate to your website using HTTPS, for example: https://www.yourdomain.com.

If you see a lock icon next to the URL, then the SSL certificate is properly installed and working. If you get an error message, there may be an issue with the certificate or bindings.

Common issues after you add SSL certificate to IIS include:

• The SSL certificate is not trusted. Make sure you purchased your certificate from a trusted CA.
• The certificate has expired. Check the expiration date and renew if needed.
• Incorrect bindings. Verify the HTTPS bindings are correct in IIS.
• Firewall blocking port 443. Make sure your firewall allows traffic on port 443 for HTTPS.

If you continue to have issues after you add an SSL certificate to IIS, try the following:

• Restart the IIS server
• Re-install the SSL certificate
• Verify the certificate and private key match
• Check the SSL certificate is in the correct store
• Ensure the website is assigned the proper IP address

Issue	Solution
Untrusted certificate	Purchase from trusted CA
Expired certificate	Renew the certificate
Incorrect bindings	Verify HTTPS bindings in IIS
Firewall blocking HTTPS	Allow port 443 traffic

Best Practices to Add an SSL Certificate to IIS

Here are some tips and best practices to keep in mind as you add an SSL certificate to IIS and maintain it going forward:

• Always purchase certificates from a well-known, trusted CA. This ensures compatibility and that visitors’ browsers will trust the certificate.
• Use a dedicated IP address for each SSL certificate. This is required for older browsers and avoids potential issues.
• Renew SSL certificates before they expire. Expired certificates trigger browser warnings. Many CAs offer automatic renewal options.
• Keep your server software up-to-date. Install the latest updates for IIS, Windows Server, and OpenSSL to protect against vulnerabilities.
• Regularly monitor your SSL certificates. Set up expiration notifications and periodically check that everything is working properly.
• Use strong encryption keys and ciphers. 2048-bit keys are currently recommended. Disable weak ciphers like SSL 3.0 and RC4.
• Implement HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS). This tells browsers to always use HTTPS, even if the user types HTTP.
• Consider using a load balancer or reverse proxy. This can simplify certificate management if you have many servers and websites.

By following these best practices, you can ensure your SSL certificates remain valid and properly installed on your IIS web servers.

Conclusion

Adding an SSL certificate to your IIS web server is a critical step to secure your website and protect sensitive user data.

The process to add an SSL certificate to IIS involves obtaining a certificate from a trusted CA, installing it on the IIS server, and configuring the HTTPS bindings. By carefully following the steps outlined in this guide, you can successfully add an SSL certificate to IIS and enable HTTPS on your website.

Ongoing monitoring and maintenance are important to ensure your SSL certificates remain valid and properly installed on IIS.

Read also:

• Fix SSL Error: “python ssl certificate_verify_failed”
• How to Fix the SSL Error “No Required SSL Certificate Was Sent”
• Latest Azure SSL Certificate Pricing