How to Generate a CSR (Certificate Signing Request) in Plesk

A Certificate Signing Request (CSR) is encoded text you send to a Certificate Authority when purchasing a paid SSL certificate. It contains your domain name, organisation details, and public key. Here's how to generate one in Plesk.

Step 1: Navigate to SSL/TLS Certificates

Log in to Plesk. Click Websites & Domains, find your domain, and click SSL/TLS Certificates.

Step 2: Add a new certificate

Click Manage under "Download or remove existing certificates", then click Add SSL/TLS Certificate.

Step 3: Fill in the certificate details

Complete the form:

• Certificate name — a label to identify it (e.g. mydomain-2026)
• Bits — select 4096 (recommended)
• Country — two-letter code (e.g. ZA for South Africa)
• State or province — full name, not abbreviated
• Location (city) — your city
• Organisation name — your legally registered business name
• Domain name — the fully qualified domain (e.g. www.example.com). For wildcards, use *.example.com
• Email — contact email for the certificate

Step 4: Generate the CSR

Double-check all details — errors mean starting over. Click Request. Plesk generates both a private key and CSR and stores them in your certificate repository.

Step 5: Copy and submit the CSR

Click the certificate name from the list. Scroll to the CSR section and copy the entire block, including the header and footer lines:

-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----
(encoded text)
-----END CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----

Paste this into your Certificate Authority's order form. Once you receive the certificate file (.crt or .pem), return to Plesk to upload and install it.

Important notes

• Don't delete the private key. The CSR and private key are a matched pair. If you delete the key, the issued certificate won't work.
• Domain name must be exact. A CSR for www.example.com won't cover example.com unless you get a SAN or wildcard certificate.
• If you're using Let's Encrypt, you don't need a CSR — Plesk handles everything automatically.

Troubleshooting

• "Add SSL/TLS Certificate" not visible: Look for "Advanced settings" instead of "Manage" — it varies by Plesk version.
• CSR section is empty: Make sure you clicked Request, not Self-Signed.
• CA rejects the CSR: Check for typos in the domain or organisation name. Some CAs require exact business registration details.