---
title: "How to use the free SSL certificate checker — Lemwatch Help"
description: "Test any public site's SSL cert, chain, expiry, and TLS grade in seconds — no signup required."
canonical: "https://lemwatch.com/help/using-the-free-ssl-checker"
source: "https://lemwatch.com"
---

# How to use the free SSL certificate checker

> Test any public site's SSL cert, chain, expiry, and TLS grade in seconds — no signup required.

## Quick answer

 Paste any domain into the free SSL checker at /tools/ssl-checker. You'll get the certificate chain, expiry date, issuer, TLS version, and a security grade in under 5 seconds. No signup.

## What it checks

- Certificate validity and days-until-expiry

- Full chain (root + intermediates)

- TLS protocol versions and cipher suites

- Common misconfigurations (missing intermediates, weak ciphers)

- SAN coverage for your domain and subdomains

## Where to find it in Lemwatch

 Open **/tools/ssl-checker** — no account required. Signed-in users can add the result as a monitored site with one click.

## How to use it

- Enter a domain (with or without https:// ).

- Click Check SSL .

- Review the grade, expiry, and chain details.

- Click Monitor this site to get automated 30/14/7-day expiry alerts.

- Share the report URL — every check gets a permalink.

## FAQ

### Does it work on internal or staging domains?

 No — the tool must be able to reach the domain publicly. Use in-app SSL monitoring for private hosts.

### How often can I run it?

 Anonymous checks are rate-limited to prevent abuse. Signed-in users get higher limits.

## Related

- Why my SSL grade dropped

- Free security header checker

- Free website uptime checker


## Related

- [Help centre](https://lemwatch.com/help)
- [Why did my SSL grade drop?](https://lemwatch.com/help/why-ssl-grade-dropped)
- [How to use the free security header checker](https://lemwatch.com/help/using-the-free-security-header-checker)
- [How to use the free website uptime checker](https://lemwatch.com/help/using-the-free-website-uptime-checker)
- [How to use the free sitemap diff tool](https://lemwatch.com/help/using-the-free-sitemap-diff-tool)
- [Lemwatch pricing](https://lemwatch.com/pricing)