How to Enable SSL and Force HTTPS

Your website comes with a free SSL certificate, and you can make sure every visitor lands on the secure version of your site. This guide shows you how to confirm your certificate is active and turn on Force HTTPS.

Before you start

We automatically request a free Let's Encrypt certificate for your website and renew it for you. If your site is brand new, the certificate is usually issued automatically within a short time of your site going live, so there may be nothing for you to do but wait a little while.

Step 1 — Open your website in your control panel

1. Sign in to your account.
2. Open your control panel for the website you want to secure.
3. Select the website you'd like to work on.

Step 2 — Confirm your SSL certificate is active

1. Look for the SSL or security area for your website in your control panel.
2. Check that a Let's Encrypt certificate is listed and shows as active or issued.

If you don't see an active certificate on a newly launched site, wait a short while and check again — it's usually issued automatically. If it still hasn't appeared after some time, contact support and we'll look into it for you.

Step 3 — Turn on Force HTTPS Redirect

By default, your site may still be reachable over the insecure http version. Turning on the redirect sends all traffic to the secure https version automatically.

1. In your website's settings, find the Force HTTPS Redirect option.
2. Switch it on.
3. Save your changes if prompted.

Step 4 — Test your site

1. Open your website in a browser.
2. Check that the address starts with https:// and that the padlock icon appears.
3. Try typing your address with http:// at the front — it should automatically redirect to the secure https version.

Next steps

Your visitors will now always land on the secure version of your site. If your certificate isn't showing as active, or the redirect doesn't seem to be working, open a support ticket and we'll sort it out for you.