This guide will walk you through installing an SSL certificate on your website using GeoTrust AutoInstall SSL ACME and cPanel’s built-in terminal. Don’t worry if you’re not technical; we’ll break it down into simple steps.
What You’ll Need to Get Started
Before starting, make sure you have:
- Access to your cPanel hosting account
- Your website’s domain name
- About 10 minutes of time
Step 1: Log Into cPanel
- Open your web browser and go to your cPanel login page (usually something like yourwebsite.com/cpanel).
- Enter your username and password and click Log In.
Step 2: Open the Terminal
- Once you’re in cPanel, scroll down to the Advanced section.
- Look for an icon labeled Terminal (it looks like a black computer screen) and click on it.
- If you see a warning or confirmation message, click OK or I Understand.
What is the cPanel terminal? Think of it like a text-based control panel where you can give your server direct instructions by typing commands.
Step 3: Install the ACME Agent
- In the Terminal window, you’ll see a blinking cursor
- Copy the install agent command provided in AutoInstall SSL and paste it into the terminal window
- Press Enter on your keyboard
- Wait while the installation happens — you’ll see text scrolling by, followed by “Install success!”
Step 4: Find Your Website’s Root Directory
Before running the next command, you need to know where your website files are stored. For most cPanel users, this is one of these locations:
- /home/yourusername/public_html (most common)
- /home/yourusername/public_html/yourdomain.com
If you’re not sure, see this article on identifying your cPanel web root directory.
Step 5: Run the Certificate Install Command
- Copy the install certificate command provided in GeoTrust AutoInstall SSL
- Edit the provided command to change “/path/to/webroot” to your website’s root directory (identified in the previous step)
- Paste the edited command into the Terminal window and press Enter on your keyboard
- Wait while it works (typically a minute or two)
When you see the “Success” message, that means your certificate is installed and will be automatically renewed before it expires!
Common Issues
Timeout
This message typically indicates that the certificate authority was not able to complete validation. The most common cause is that your web root directory was incorrectly entered.
Cannot Write Token to File
cPanel is not able to save your validation file. Check that your web root directory is correct.