How to Enable/Install an SSL Certificate on Joomla Website?
Nonetheless, securing sensitive or private data stored or transferred on any site, including the Joomla website, requires an SSL/TLS Certificate installed on it to form an encrypted HTTPS connection .
Steps to Install an SSL/TLS Certificate on Joomla
Step 1:
In your web hosting account, browse to the control panel and click on ‘File Manager.’ Now, in the root directory of your website, locate the ‘.htaccess‘ file, download and save it on your computer.
Step 2:
Once you download the ‘.htaccess’ file, open it in notepad or any other text editor. Add the below code and save it:
RewriteCond %{SERVER_PORT} !^443$
RewriteRule .* https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [QSA,R=301,L]
<IfModule !mod_ssl.c>
Redirect permanent / https://www.yourdomainname.com
Note: Instead of www.yourdomainname.com, enter your Joomla website’s domain name.
Step 3:
Now, open the ‘File Manager‘ application from the control panel of your website. Locate the ‘.htaccess‘ file you saved on your computer and upload it to the root directory of the website. Overwrite the existing ‘.htaccess’ file if you are prompted to do so.
Step 4:
Once the above steps are completed, go to your Joomla admin page and log-in as an administrator.
Step 5:
Once you log in, go to the control panel page of Joomla and click on the ‘Global Configuration‘ link. It’ll take you to the main settings page of Joomla.
Step 6:
Once you get into the ‘Global Configuration’ page, click on the ‘Server‘ tab. In the server tab, go to the ‘Force SSL’ option and select ‘Entire Site’ from the drop-down menu.
Step 7:
After selecting the ‘Entire Site’ option, click on the ‘Save’ icon, which is located on the upper right corner of the ‘Global Configuration‘ page.
Step 8:
If you’ve completed the above steps, congratulations!
You’ve successfully installed an SSL/TLS Certificate on your Joomla website.
Now, log into your Joomla site, you will be routed to the secure HTTPS URL and not the ‘HTTP’ version.