SSL Installation Instructions

The following instructions will guide you through the SSL installation process on Media Temple (GRID). If you have more than one server or device, you will need to install the certificate on each server or device you need to secure. If you still have not generated your certificate and completed the validation process, reference our CSR Generation Instructions and disregard the steps below.

  1. Make sure you have all the following files saved before proceeding:
    • Your Server Certificate -  This is the certificate you received from the CA for your domain. You may have been sent this via email. If not, you can download it by visiting your Account Dashboard and clicking on your order.
    • Intermediate Certificates - These files allow the devices connecting to your server to identify the issuing CA. There may be more than one of these certificates. If you got your certificate in a ZIP folder, it should also contain the Intermediate certificate(s), which is sometimes referred to as a CA Bundle. If not, download the appropriate CA Bundle for your certificate.
    • Your Private Key - This file should be on your server, or in your possession if you generated your CSR from a free generator tool. On certain platforms, such as Microsoft IIS, the private key is not immediately visible to you but the server is keeping track of it.
  2. Log in to Media Temple and view your Account Center.


  3. Click Domains in the navigation bar and select the appropriate domain name.

  4. View your GRID Control Panel.

    Note: The list of configuration options can vary depending on if you selected the "primary domain" under your account.

  5. For securing the Primary Domain, scroll domain to Add-Ons and select SSL Certificate.

  6. For securing alternative domains (meaning, not your Primary Domain), scroll domain to Alternative Domain Admin and select SSL Certificate.

  7. In the configuration page, click Import Certificate.

  8. Copy and paste your Certificate Files into the appropriate text box(s).
    • Key - This is your private key that was created during the generation process.

    • Note 1: Leave this text box blank if you previously created the Certificate Signing Request (CSR) and private key in your Account Center. Media Temple will auto-fill the appropriate key file.

      Note 2: If you made the CSR and private key outside of your Media Temple account and failed to save the files, you will have problems proceeding and may need to re-issue the SSL certificate with a newly created key pair.

    • Certificate - This is your server certificate that was issued to your domain(s).

      Note: If you received the certificate in a ZIP file, click "Extract All" and then drag your server certificate into a text editor such as Notepad. This will allow you to copy all text contents needed including "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----" and "END CERTIFICATE-----".

    • CA/Chain Certificate – This is your intermediate certificates that allow browsers and devices to understand who issued your trusted certificate.

      Note 1: If you have multiple intermediate certificates, paste each of them one after another to create the correct certificate chain/path.

      Note 2: If you forgot to save these files, download the appropriate CA/Chain Certificate for your certificate.


  9. Click Save.

    Note: It could take Media Temple up to 24 hours to finish configuring your SSL certificate on your live site. Please feel free to contact your host if this process takes longer than usual.

Congratulations! You've successfully installed your SSL certificate! To check your work, visit the website in your browser at https://yourdomain.tld and view the certificate/site information to see if HTTPS/SSL is working properly. Remember, you may need to restart your server for changes to take effect.

To check your server's configurations more thoroughly, use our SSL Checker Tool or contact our Customer Experience Department for additional assistance.