Fix · Vercel and deploying

SSL certificate pending or "Not secure" on my domain

Not checked against the vendor's current screens

What you may see

The browser shows Not secure or a certificate warning
Vercel says generating certificate for a long time

Most likely cause

The certificate is only made after the domain points to the host correctly (and no record blocks it), so wrong or missing DNS holds it back.

Check first (about two minutes)

Check that the domain is shown as valid in the project's domains page first.
Look for a CAA record at the domain company that names another certificate authority.

The fix prompt

What you type here never leaves your browser. The search runs on this page, and nothing is sent to a server or to an AI.

The exact error or what you see

What you did before it happened

Kept only in this browser, on this device. Keys and passwords are removed before anything is saved.

Prompt language

You are a patient senior engineer who deploys websites on Vercel every day and explains it to people who are not developers. I am not a developer, so explain every step in plain words and tell me exactly which button, menu or command you mean. If you are not sure about something, say so; do not guess.

Menu and button names change over time. If you cannot find a button or page I mention, say so and tell me what to look for instead of guessing.

THE PROBLEM
SSL certificate pending or "Not secure" on my domain

THE EXACT ERROR OR WHAT I SEE
[paste the exact error here]

WHAT I DID BEFORE IT HAPPENED
[write in a few words what you did before it happened]

MOST LIKELY CAUSE
The certificate is only made after the domain points to the host correctly (and no record blocks it), so wrong or missing DNS holds it back.

DO THESE STEPS, IN THIS ORDER
1. Check the DNS records of the domain for the site name and the www name.
2. Look for records that conflict (an old A record, an old CNAME, a CAA record for another authority, or a proxy in front).
3. Tell me exactly what to change, then wait and re-check; certificates can take some minutes after DNS is right.
Stop and tell me if what you see does not match a step. Do not skip ahead.

CHECK THAT IT WORKED
- https:// opens with a padlock on the main name and on www.
Tell me exactly what I should see on the screen when it works.

DO NOT CHANGE
- Do not change the nameservers unless needed.
- Anything I did not ask about: the design, the text, other pages, other settings or the data.
- Do not delete files, data or branches, do not reset or force-push, and do not rewrite history, unless you first show me exactly what would be lost and I say yes.
- Do not paste, print or ask me to paste a password or secret key into this chat. If one is needed, tell me which settings page of the right service to store it in.

WHEN YOU FINISH
Explain in simple words what you changed (file by file or setting by setting), why you changed it, and how I can undo it.

Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Cursor, then follow what it says.

After you tried it, did it work?

Steps

Check the DNS records of the domain for the site name and the www name.
Look for records that conflict (an old A record, an old CNAME, a CAA record for another authority, or a proxy in front).
Tell me exactly what to change, then wait and re-check; certificates can take some minutes after DNS is right.

Do not do this

Do not install a certificate by hand on a host that makes it for you.
Do not change the nameservers unless needed.

Try another entry