Fixing "Not Secure" / Mixed-Content SSL Warnings

After you turn on SSL, your site should load with a padlock and https://. If it still shows "Not Secure" or the padlock has a warning, the usual cause is mixed content — some parts of the page still loading over insecure http://. This article explains how to find and fix it.

What "mixed content" means

When your page loads over secure https:// but some of its elements — images, scripts, stylesheets — still load over insecure http://, the browser flags the whole page as not fully secure. That mixed connection is "mixed content," and it is the most common reason a site with a valid certificate still shows a warning.

Before troubleshooting mixed content, confirm your certificate itself is active. See Your Free SSL Certificate (AutoSSL).

Before you begin

• An active SSL certificate on your domain.
• Access to your site's admin area (for example, the WordPress dashboard).
• A current backup, before changing site settings.

Step 1: Confirm the certificate is valid

1. Visit your site at https://yourdomain.com.
2. Select the padlock (or the "Not Secure" label) in the address bar.
3. If it reports the certificate is missing or invalid — rather than mixed content — that is a certificate issue, not mixed content. See Renewing & Troubleshooting Your SSL Certificate.

Step 2: Identify the insecure elements

Your browser's developer tools list exactly what is loading insecurely.

1. Open your browser's developer tools (usually the F12 key or right-click and choose Inspect).
2. Open the Console tab.
3. Reload the page and look for mixed content warnings — each one names a resource still loading over http://.

Tip: Note whether the insecure items are your own files (images, theme files) or come from another website. The fix differs slightly for each.

Step 3: Update your site to use HTTPS

For WordPress

1. Go to Settings > General and make sure both WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) start with https://.
2. Use a reputable plugin to find and replace remaining http:// links to your own domain with https://, or to handle mixed content automatically.

For other sites

• Edit your page code so links to your own resources use https:// (or protocol-relative //).
• Re-upload any pages you changed.

Warning: Update database URLs with a search-and-replace tool that handles serialized data (or a trusted plugin). Editing the database by hand can break WordPress settings. Back up first.

Step 4: Handle external resources

If the insecure item comes from another site:

• Switch to the https:// version of that resource if it offers one.
• Replace or remove the resource if it has no secure version.

Step 5: Clear caches and re-check

1. Clear any caching plugin and your browser cache.
2. Reload the page and confirm the padlock now appears with no warning.
3. Re-check the developer console to confirm the mixed-content warnings are gone.

Next steps

• Certificate problem instead? See Renewing & Troubleshooting Your SSL Certificate.
• Review your free SSL. See Your Free SSL Certificate (AutoSSL).

Questions? Contact Exact Hosting Support.

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