The private key is generated on your end, not provided by GoDaddy. Here’s where to find it depending on how you got your certificate:

🔍 Most Common Places to Find It

1. You Generated a CSR in cPanel itself

If you created the CSR (Certificate Signing Request) directly in cPanel:

• Go to cPanel → SSL/TLS → Certificate Signing Requests (CSR)
• The private key was automatically saved alongside the CSR
• Go to SSL/TLS → Private Keys (KEY) — it should be listed there

2. You Generated the CSR via GoDaddy

• GoDaddy sometimes generates both the CSR and private key for you
• Log in to your GoDaddy account → My Products → SSL Certificates
• Click Manage → look for a Download option — it may include the private key in the ZIP

3. You Used OpenSSL to Generate the CSR

The private key was created in the same command, e.g.:

bash

openssl req -new -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout your_domain.key -out your_domain.csr

• The .key file is your private key — check wherever you ran this command

⚠️ Key Things to Know

• GoDaddy does NOT hold your private key — it never leaves your server/machine
• If you lost the private key, you cannot use the certificate — you must reissue it (GoDaddy allows free reissues)
• The private key must match the CSR used to generate the certificate

🔄 If You Lost the Private Key — Reissue the Certificate

1. Log in to GoDaddy → SSL Certificates → Manage
2. Click Reissue Certificate
3. Generate a new CSR (in cPanel → SSL/TLS → CSR)
4. Submit the new CSR to GoDaddy
5. You’ll get a new .crt — and this time save the private key

📋 Installing in cPanel Once You Have All 3 Files

Go to cPanel → SSL/TLS → Manage SSL Sites and paste:

Would you like help generating a new CSR in cPanel or troubleshooting further?