Generate a key and certificate

N-able N-central allows you to generate a server key, self-signed certificate, and a certificate signing request (CSR) file. The CSR is only required if you plan to obtain a certificate signed by a certificate authority (CA).

Certificates can only be managed at the System level by System or Product Administrator accounts. Service Organization, Customer, and Site‑level accounts do not have access to this feature.

After generating a CSR, submit it to your CA to obtain a signed certificate. Do not generate another CSR before uploading the signed certificate, as generating a new CSR creates a new private key and invalidates the previous one. A certificate signed for an invalidated key cannot be uploaded.

Generating a new Certificate Signing Request (CSR) immediately replaces the active certificate with a self‑signed certificate. This can disrupt agent communication, integrations, and administrator access until a certificate signed by a certificate authority is applied. Perform this task only when the signed certificate is ready and during a maintenance window.

  1. In the left-hand navigation menu, go to Administration > Certificate Management > Generate and Download Certificate.
  2. Enter your Company name.
  3. Provide your Division or Business Unit.
  4. Specify the Server Address of the N-able N-central server as a Fully Qualified Domain Name FQDN. IP addresses are not supported because certificates can only be signed for FQDNs.

    5. The FQDN field is read-only and reflects the value configured in Mail and Network Settings > Network Setup. To change the FQDN, you must update it on the Network Setup page.

  5. Enter the Email Address of the certificate administrator.

  6. Provide your company’s mailing address information: Enter your City and State/Province, then select your Country from the drop‑down list.

    7. When entering a state or province, do not use abbreviations, as some certificate authority tools do not support them.

  7. Select Generate, wait a few moments for the process to complete, and then choose OK.

After the N-central sign‑in screen reappears, proceed to Download Certificate Signing Request and upload the certificate signed by your certificate authority.