Fixing ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS and Redirect Loops

Introduction

ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS means the browser followed a chain of redirects until it gave up. In most cases the site is not down — two or more redirect rules are fighting each other.

Common causes include HTTP and HTTPS rules applied twice, www and non-www bouncing between each other, WordPress siteurl/home mismatches, duplicate .htaccess or Nginx rules, CDN SSL mode conflicts, and reverse proxies that do not pass the correct protocol headers.

Quick answer

ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS explained

A redirect loop happens when URL A sends the browser to URL B, and URL B sends it back to A — or through a longer circle of URLs. Each hop looks valid on its own, but together they never reach a final page.

• HTTP to HTTPS conflict between origin and CDN
• www and non-www both redirect to each other
• Cloudflare Flexible SSL with origin HTTPS enforcement
• WordPress siteurl/home using a different scheme or host
• Duplicate rules in .htaccess, Nginx, plugins and CDN page rules
• Reverse proxy missing X-Forwarded-Proto or X-Forwarded-Ssl
• Old migration redirect rules still active on the new host
• Canonical plugin redirect fighting server-level redirect
• Cache or CDN edge serving an outdated redirect response

Why this matters

Loops are especially common after HTTPS migrations, CDN setup, WordPress URL changes, or hosting moves when old and new redirect layers are both still active.

How to check redirect loops

Start by tracing the full redirect path from the URL that fails in the browser.

1. Run curl -IL on http:// and https:// versions of the domain.
2. Test both www and non-www hostnames.
3. Note each status code and Location header in order.
4. Check whether the chain repeats the same URLs.
5. Use HTTP Header Checker to inspect response headers at each hop.
6. Compare origin response with CDN/proxy response.
7. If WordPress, check Settings → General for siteurl and home.
8. Review .htaccess, Nginx server blocks and CDN SSL/page rules.

Common problems

How to fix

1. Step 1: Trace the redirect chain

   Use curl -IL or Website Status Checker on the failing URL and write down every hop, status code and Location header.

2. Step 2: Identify where redirects are generated

   Determine whether the loop starts at CDN, web server, reverse proxy, WordPress or a plugin.

3. Step 3: Choose one canonical URL

   Decide the final public URL: HTTPS plus either www or non-www. Every other variant should reach it in one step.

4. Step 4: Fix HTTP to HTTPS rule

   Keep a single HTTPS enforcement rule. Remove duplicate HTTP redirects from server, CMS and CDN.

5. Step 5: Fix www/non-www rule

   Redirect only the non-canonical hostname to the canonical one. Do not redirect both ways.

6. Step 6: Check WordPress siteurl/home

   If the site runs WordPress, confirm both values exactly match the canonical HTTPS URL.

7. Step 7: Remove duplicate redirect layers

   Disable or delete conflicting rules in .htaccess, Nginx, plugins, page rules and reverse proxy config.

8. Step 8: Purge cache and CDN

   Clear CDN, reverse proxy and browser cache so old redirect responses are not reused.

9. Step 9: Test again

   Retest http, https, www and non-www variants until each reaches the canonical URL in one or two hops without looping.

Examples

curl -IL http://example.com
curl -IL https://www.example.com
curl -IL http://www.example.com

# Look for repeating Location headers
# Example loop:
# Location: https://example.com/
# Location: http://example.com/
# Location: https://example.com/

Frequently asked questions