How to Check a Website's SSL Certificate Expiry Date
An expired SSL certificate takes your website offline for all users — browsers block access and show a full-page warning. This guide covers how to check any website's SSL expiry date before it expires, and what to do if it already has.
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Free SSL Checker
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Step-by-Step Guide
- 1
Open the SSL Checker
Go to the free SSL checker — no account required.
- 2
Enter the domain name
Type the domain without https:// — for example: yourdomain.com. The tool checks both www and non-www automatically.
- 3
Click Check SSL
The tool connects to the domain, retrieves the SSL certificate, and shows the full details.
- 4
Review the expiry date
The expiry date and days remaining are shown prominently. Check the issuer to confirm it is a trusted Certificate Authority.
- 5
Set a renewal reminder
Set a calendar reminder 30 days before the expiry date. For Let's Encrypt certificates (90-day expiry), set a reminder at 60 days.
Who This Is For
Website Owners
Check your own site's SSL certificate before it expires — an expired cert blocks all visitors and damages SEO.
Developers
Verify that an SSL certificate was correctly installed after renewal or a hosting change.
IT & Security Teams
Audit SSL expiry across all company domains to prevent unexpected outages from certificate expiration.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens when an SSL certificate expires?
All major browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) show a full-page warning blocking access to the site. Most users will not proceed past this warning. Search rankings drop because Google cannot crawl HTTPS sites with invalid certificates.
How often should I check my SSL certificate?
Check monthly if you manage your own certificate renewal. If your hosting platform auto-renews (Cloudflare, most managed hosting), check quarterly to verify auto-renewal is working correctly.
How do I renew an SSL certificate for free?
Let's Encrypt provides free SSL certificates that auto-renew every 90 days when set up correctly via Certbot (Linux servers), Cloudflare (free plan), or most managed hosting platforms. If your certificate expired, check why the auto-renewal failed — usually a configuration issue.
Can I check an SSL certificate that is already expired?
Yes. The SSL checker will show the certificate details including the expired date even if the certificate is no longer valid. This helps you understand when it expired and who issued it so you can renew with the same provider.