Windows Server 2008

To install a SSL certificate in IIS 7, first copy the file somewhere on the server and then follow these instructions:

  1. On your keyboard, click the Start menu, go to Administrative Tools, and click on Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
  2. Click on the name of the server in the Connections column on the left. Double-click on Server Certificates.
  3. In the Actions column on the right, click on Complete Certificate Request.
  4. Click the button with the three dots and select the server certificate that you received from the certificate authority. If the certificate doesn't have a .cer file extension, select to view all types. Enter any friendly name you want so you can keep track of the certificate on this server. Click OK.
  5. If successful, you will see your newly installed certificate in the list. If you receive an error stating that the request or private key cannot be found, make sure you are using the correct certificate and that you are installing it to the same server that you generated the CSR on. If you are sure of those two things, you may just need to create a new Certificate Request and reissue/replace the certificate. Contact your certificate authority if you have problems with this.

Bind the Certificate to a website

  1. In the Connections column on the left, expand the sites folder and click on the website that you want to bind the certificate to. Click on Bindings in the right column.
  2. Click on the Add button.
  3. Change the Type to https and then select the SSL certificate that you just installed. Click OK.
  4. You will now see the binding for port 443 listed. Click Close.

Install any Intermediate Certificates

Most SSL providers issue server certificates off of an Intermediate certificate so you will need to install this Intermediate certificate to the server as well or your visitors will receive a Certificate Not Trusted Error. You can install each Intermediate certificate (sometimes there is more than one) using these instructions:

  1. Download the intermediate certificate to a folder on the server.
  2. Double click the certificate to open the certificate details.
  3. At the bottom of the General tab, click the Install Certificate button to start the certificate import wizard. Click Next.
  4. Select Place all certificates in the following store and click Browse.
  5. Check the Show physical stores checkbox, then expand the Intermediate Certification Authorities folder, select the Local Computer folder beneath it. Click OK. Click Next, then Finish to finish installing the intermediate certificate.

You may need to restart IIS so that it starts giving out the new certificate. You can verify that the certificate is installed correctly by visiting the site in your web browser using https instead of http.

  • 112 Users Found This Useful
Was this answer helpful?

Related Articles

macOS Server

To install a SSL certificate on your macOS Server, please follow the instraction below:...

Windows Server 2003

The Windows 2003 Internet Information Server (IIS) 6.0 supports Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)...

Windows 10 Mobile

Digital certificates bind the identity of a user or computer to a pair of keys that can be used...

Configure S/MIME for Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile

The following artical applied to Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile S/MIME stands for...

Set Up an HTTPS Service in IIS

HTTPS is a secure communications channel that is used to exchange information between a client...