Convert PEM to CRT — Free Online Certificate Converter
Save your PEM certificate as a .crt file for Apache, cPanel, and control panels that require the .crt extension — 100% client-side.
Frequently Asked Questions
PEM vs CRT: A Naming Convention, Not a Format
One of the most confusing aspects of SSL certificate management is the proliferation of file extensions: .pem, .crt, .cer, .der, .pfx, .p12. Most of these are naming conventions rather than distinct formats. Understanding this helps you navigate certificate deployment confidently.
PEM format is a Base64-encoded certificate with ASCII armor headers. A certificate starts with -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- and ends with -----END CERTIFICATE-----. PEM files can contain multiple blocks (certificate chain + key) concatenated together.
.crt extension is traditionally used for individual certificates (not keys or chains), particularly in Apache and cPanel environments. The content is identical to .pem — many servers simply rename .pem to .crt when they need a different extension for their configuration syntax.
This converter reads your PEM certificate file and outputs the same content saved as certificate.crt. The bytes are identical — only the filename changes. This is useful when a control panel or deployment script specifically requires the .crt extension for its certificate upload field.