8 Simple Steps to Install SSL certificate on Windows Server
By Kathir | August 4, 2026
Installing an SSL certificate is essential to secure your website, build user trust, and improve SEO rankings. In this guide on how to Install SSL certificate on a Windows Server, you will learn step-by-step methods using both Let’s Encrypt (free SSL) and paid SSL options.
This tutorial will help you easily configure SSL through IIS and secure your domain without confusion.
Why Install SSL Certificate?
Before going in to the Install SSL certificate, you need to know why the SSL is important for your site, why you would need a paid SSL for your business Site. As you know the SSL certificates helps your site to load in encrypted way to built trust among users via pad lock icon on your sites and also helps in improving the SEO of your site on search engines, prevents search engines or browsers in marking your sites as “not secure”
Let’s Encrypt vs Paid SSL
Let’s Encrypt is a free SSL for a domain that provides the secured encryption for the domains as the same level as paid SSL certificates which makes it as a most common choice to use on all types of websites. Whereas, the paid SSL is trusted and a reliable SSL for your site which commonly used by organizations, large enterprises, business persons for their sites which offers high level validation and encryption for your domains.
Install SSL certificate on Windows
As like any other hosting environment, Install SSL certificate on Windows may feel complex as it requires IIS (Internet Information Services) and other process like manually configuration of SSL files and mandatory of private key. It also requires a manual binding of the site or domain to use SSL which may cause error if anything goes wrong.
No worries. We’ll guide you on how to install SSL certificate for the site or domain runs in a windows server in a step by step process.
2 Different Ways to Install SSL Certificate on Windows Server:
1. Using Let’s encrypt SSL
2. Paid SSL Certificate
1. Using Let’s encrypt SSL:
Installing the Lets encrypt SSL on the Windows server requires an additional tool “Win-acme“, once you installed the win-acme from the official website, follow the below steps to install the Lets Encrypt SSL:
Step 1: Choose the Certificate type
Open the CMD as Administrator and run the following command “wacs.exe” by navigating to the win-acme directory. From the available options, select the option “M” to create a certificate.
Step 2: IIS Binding
Choose the binding type as option “2” – manual binding and enter. It will ask for the “Host Name“, type your domain name when prompted
Step 3: Choosing the SSL type
Choose the SSL type -> select the single certificate – option “4” (you can select your SSL type, here I selected single certificate to use on single domain)
Step 4: Verification Type
Choose the Verification type “[http] Serve verification files from memory” in the option “2” to complete the verification within the Windows server without any additional steps.
Step 5: Ownership Verification
Verify the domain ownership by selecting the RSA Method on option “2”
Step 6: Private Key Verification
On the private key verification option choose the Windows Certificate Store (Local Computer)
Step 7: Choosing the certificate Store
Choose the certificate store as “Web Hosting” or Select “Default” for storing the certificate.
Step 8: Update the binding
Once done, skip the next step by choosing the option “5”. After skipping, choose the “create or update binding in the IIS”
Step 9: Choosing the Domain
After selecting the binding update, choose the domain from available domains (Domains shown here was the site listed in bindings under the IIS) which you would like to Install SSL certificate.
Win-acme will automatically bind your site in IIS to SSL. Once the installation is completed, you can check the site loading with SSL on browser.
2. Paid SSL Certificate
Step 1: Placing the Order for SSL Certificate
You can directly buy an SSL certificate from SeekaHost India or login to client area and go to the Services section. Click on “SSL Certificates” to check the SSL products available.
From that, select GoGetSSL Secure Domain SSL for your domain. During checkout, enter the domain name you want to secure and complete the purchase.
Step 2: Generating the necessary certificates
After purchasing your SSL certificate, you need to generate the required files to configure it on your Windows Server.
Go to the SeekaHost India client area dashboard, then navigate to Services -> SSL. Select the SSL certificate you recently purchased for your domain and click on “Configure Now.”
Step 3: Generating the CSR
Once you open the Configure Now page, choose New Order as order type (Fresh Installation).
After selecting the order type, you need to generate a CSR (Certificate Signing Request). Click on “Generate CSR” to proceed and create the required details for your SSL setup.
You will now be prompted to enter the required details to generate the CSR. Make sure the Common Name field contains the exact domain name for which you are installing the SSL certificate.
After generating the CSR, fill in the Administrative Contact Information and click Continue. You will then see a CNAME record provided for your domain.
Add this CNAME record in your domain’s DNS settings and wait for it to propagate. Once the changes are active, click Revalidate.
After successful validation, your SSL certificate will be verified, and you will be able to download the certificate files.
Step 4: Downloading the certificate
Under the Actions section, you will see a list of downloadable files. While you can download each file individually and configure them in IIS on Windows Server, there is an easier method.
Simply click on “Download PEM” to download the complete bundle. If you’re unfamiliar with this format, learn What a PEM file is and why it is commonly used for SSL certificates. The PEM file includes all the necessary components for SSL installation, such as the Private Key, CRT, and Intermediate CA Certificate, making it simpler to configure SSL on your server.
Step 5: Install IIS on Windows Server
- Once you have downloaded the PEM file, log in to your Windows Server using RDP or VNC.
- Search for IIS (Internet Information Services).
Before proceeding with the IIS installation and SSL configuration, make sure you have successfully logged in to your Windows Server. If you need help accessing your server remotely, follow our guide on How to connect to a Windows Server via RDP.
- To install IIS, follow these steps:
- Open Start Menu and search for Server Manager, then open it. In the Server Manager dashboard, click on “Add Roles and Features.”
- In the installation wizard, click Next. When prompted, select “Role-based or feature-based installation” and click Next again.
- Choose the appropriate server pool and continue. You will then see the features selection page. Select IIS (Internet Information Services) along with the recommended features, then click Install to complete the setup.
Since IIS does not support importing PEM files directly, you need to convert the PEM file into a PFX file before installation.
To do this, you must download and install OpenSSL. After installing OpenSSL, open Command Prompt (CMD) and run the following command:
openssl pkcs12 -export -out "<location path where the file will be saved\filename.pfx>" -in "<location path of the PEM file>"NOTE: Replace the file paths in the command with the actual location of your PEM file and the destination where you want to save the PFX file.
You will then be prompted to set a password for the PFX file. This password will protect the file, so make sure to remember it, as you will need it during the IIS import process.
Step 7: Adding the PFX to the IIS
Once the PFX file is generated, navigate to the IIS, choose the connection server and right panel of the ISS you will see a option called Server Certificate.
Once you are in Server Certificates in IIS, click on Import.
In the Import wizard, select the PFX file path you created earlier. Enter the password for the PFX file and choose Web Hosting from the dropdown list. Then click OK.
Your SSL certificate will now be successfully imported into IIS.
Step 8: Manual Binding
After importing the SSL certificate into IIS Server Certificates, you need to manual bind it to your site to use the SSL.
Go to Sites/Application option on left side, select your website, and click Bindings. Add a new binding with type https, set port 443, choose the correct IP (or All Unassigned), and select our SSL certificate from the dropdown.
Click OK to save. Your SSL is now active, and you can verify it by opening your domain in a browser.
If the sites are not added in the IIS, you can able to add the site in the same page, you will see an option called “add site” in the right panel above the binding. After adding the site you can make the binding to in connect the site to SSL
Video Reference:
Hope this article simplifies your work on install SSL certificate on Windows server easily.