Let’s Encrypt Halts Expiration Emails: Free Certificate Reminders Discontinued as of June 4

Let’s Encrypt, renowned as one of the world’s largest providers of free digital certificates for securing websites via HTTPS, has officially ceased sending expiration notifications for its certificates. This service was discontinued as of June 4, 2025, though the organization proactively announced the change through its official blog to prevent confusion or disruptions among its user base.

Previously, notifications were sent via email to website owners several weeks in advance, reminding them to renew their certificates. This courtesy, however, is no longer in place. The decision stems from several reasons, all centered on streamlining internal operations and adapting to industry-wide shifts.

Let’s Encrypt emphasizes that the automation of certificate issuance and renewal has long become standard practice. The organization relies on the ACME protocol (Automatic Certificate Management Environment), which allows websites and server software to autonomously request, install, and renew certificates with minimal human intervention. According to Let’s Encrypt, this renders traditional email notifications obsolete and redundant.

An additional impetus for this change is the forthcoming reduction in certificate lifespans. The CA/Browser Forum has announced plans to shorten certificate validity to 47 days by 2029. Under such constraints, manually tracking certificate status becomes impractical, making robust automation essential to maintain uninterrupted security.

Financial considerations also played a role. Let’s Encrypt estimates that maintaining the notification system incurs annual costs in the tens of thousands of dollars. The organization believes these funds would be better allocated to bolstering core infrastructure and enhancing other services. Moreover, managing large volumes of personal data—such as email addresses—places additional strain on resources and heightens the risk to user privacy.

Eliminating email alerts also simplifies Let’s Encrypt’s technical architecture, reducing the potential for errors and operational failures. Given that the organization supports an immense number of websites globally, trimming unnecessary components has become a strategic necessity.

Users who previously relied on Let’s Encrypt’s reminders are now encouraged to adopt automated solutions compatible with the ACME protocol. For those requiring supplementary alerts, the organization advises configuring external notification systems independent of Let’s Encrypt’s infrastructure.

Let’s Encrypt remains one of the foremost non-profit certificate authorities worldwide, serving billions of websites. Its root certificate is trusted across all major browsers and operating systems. The project continues to receive strong backing from industry giants, including Google, Cisco, Mozilla, the EFF, Facebook, Akamai, and many others.