Certificate errors: FAQ

Occasionally you'll get an error message telling you there's a problem with a website's security certificate. A site's certificate allows Internet Explorer to establish a secure connection with the site. Certificate errors occur when there's a problem with a certificate or a web server's use of the certificate. Internet Explorer helps keep your information more secure by warning about certificate errors.

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What do certificate errors mean?

Error message	What it means
This website's security certificate has been revoked	You shouldn't trust this website. This often means that the security certificate was obtained or used fraudulently by the website.
This website's address doesn't match the address in the security certificate	A website is using a certificate that was issued to a different web address. This can occur if a company owns several websites and uses the same certificate for multiple websites.
This website's security certificate is out of date	The current date is either before or after the time period during which the certificate is valid. Websites must renew their certificates with a certification authority to stay current. Outdated certificates can be a security risk.
This website's security certificate isn't from a trusted source	The certificate has been issued by a certification authority that isn't recognized by Internet Explorer. Phishing sites often use fake certificates that trigger this error.
Internet Explorer has found a problem with this website's security certificate	Internet Explorer found a problem with a certificate that doesn't match any other errors. It could be because a certificate has been damaged, tampered with, written in an unknown format, or is unreadable. You shouldn't trust the identity of the site if a certificate has this error.

Is it ever safe to ignore a certificate error?

A website's certificate provides identification of the web server. If the certificate has an error, it might indicate that your connection has been intercepted or that the web server is misrepresenting its identity. If you're absolutely positive of the website's identity, you know that your connection hasn't been compromised, and you understand the risks, you can choose to go to the website. However, we recommend that you don't ignore a certificate warning.

Can I go to a site even if I get a certificate error?

Yes. While this isn't recommended, you can select Continue to this website (not recommended) on the certificate error warning page to go to the website. If you ignore the warning page and go to a site that's presented a certificate containing an error, Internet Explorer will remember the certificate while you have your browser open. You can return to the site without receiving another warning for that certificate until Internet Explorer is restarted.

Can I turn off certificate errors?

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Article ID: 17430 - Last Review: 31 Aug 2016 - Revision: 20

Applies to

Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Internet Explorer

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