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.

### Related Guides

- [Upload the signed certificate](/hc/help/en/articles/how-to-upload-a-custom-ssl-certificate-in-plesk)
- [Reissue a certificate](/hc/help/en/articles/how-to-reissue-and-replace-an-ssl-certificate-in-plesk)
- [Or use Let's Encrypt](/hc/help/en/articles/how-to-install-a-free-let-s-encrypt-ssl-in-plesk)