How do I force SSL/HTTPS on my websites?

You can force visitors to use SSL/HTTPS by adding rewrite rules to your site’s .htaccess file.

Caution

You must have an SSL certificate installed before enabling HTTPS redirects. Hawk Host provides free SSL certificates through Let’s Encrypt — see How do I mass install my free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates? for instructions.

cPanel Method

cPanel allows you to automatically redirect all traffic on a domain from HTTP to HTTPS through its Domains interface.

1. Log in to your cPanel account.

2. Navigate to the Domains section and click on Domains.

   

3. Turn on Force HTTPS Redirect

   

   cPanel also allows you to force HTTPS redirects across multiple domains at once using the checkbox on each domain and the Enable Force HTTPS Redirect button.

.htaccess Method

Force SSL on all websites

Add this rule to your .htaccess file:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

Force SSL on a specific domain only

Replace domain.com with your actual domain name:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^domain\.com [OR,NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.domain\.com [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]