Fix the "Certificate not trusted" SSL error

What does the error mean?

An SSL certificate is a digital ID card for your website. Browsers only trust ID cards that come from approved companies, called Certificate Authorities (CAs). If the browser cannot check your ID card, it shows a warning like "Certificate not trusted".

Common causes

• The certificate is self-signed. You made it yourself, so no trusted company vouches for it.
• The CA bundle is missing. This is the chain of files that links your certificate to a trusted company.
• The certificate has expired.
• The certificate is for a different domain name.
• The computer's clock is wrong.

Steps to fix it

1. Click the warning in the browser and view the certificate details. Note who issued it, the dates and the names it covers.
2. Check your computer's date and time. A wrong clock makes good certificates look expired.
3. If the certificate is self-signed, replace it with a free or paid certificate from a trusted company. In cPanel, open SSL/TLS Status and run AutoSSL if your plan has it.
4. If it is expired, renew it. Install the new one in cPanel under SSL/TLS then Manage SSL sites.
5. If the bundle is missing, open Manage SSL sites. Paste the CA bundle into the Certificate Authority Bundle (CABUNDLE) box and click Update Certificate.
6. If the name does not match, get a certificate that covers the exact domain you use, including the www version.
7. Clear your browser cache and test again in a private window.

Warning: do not tell visitors to click "proceed anyway". It teaches them to ignore real dangers.

If it still fails, send your domain name to support by opening a ticket.

Quick recap

• The error means the browser cannot verify your certificate.
• Check for self-signed, expired, wrong-name or missing-bundle problems.
• Replace or renew the certificate in cPanel.
• Add the CA bundle when it is missing.
• Test in a private window.