ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS: causes and fixes

ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS means the browser was sent round in a circle: address A redirects to B, and B redirects back to A, or a longer chain ends where it started. After about 20 hops the browser gives up. The fix is always to find the two rules that disagree and change one of them.

What the error looks like

• Chrome and Edge: “This page isn’t working. example.com redirected you too many times. ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS”
• Firefox: “The page isn’t redirecting properly”
• Safari: “Too many redirects occurred trying to open…”

Step 1: See the loop

Enter the address in the redirect checker. It follows every hop and stops when an address comes back, so you see exactly which two addresses send visitors to each other. Then test the destination on its own as well: if it loops by itself, the problem is at the destination site, not in your redirect.

If the checker shows a normal chain but your browser still fails, the loop depends on cookies or your login. Try a private window; if that works, clear the site’s cookies.

Step 2: Find the cause

The destination redirects back to the old domain

The most common cause after a domain move. The new site still has the old domain set as its main address, for example in the site URL setting of a CMS or in a redirect rule at the host, so it sends visitors back to the old domain, which sends them to the new one again. Change the site’s own address to the new domain, or remove the rule that points back.

www and non-www redirect in opposite directions

Your redirect sends www.example.com to example.com, while your website host sends example.com back to www.example.com. Pick one main address and make both agree: turn off the host’s setting, or swap the direction of your redirect. Redirect www to non-www.

HTTP and HTTPS redirect in opposite directions

Redirect Ninja always moves visitors to https://, both on your domain and on the destination. Two setups turn that into a loop:

• Your domain is proxied through Cloudflare with the SSL mode set to Flexible. Cloudflare then asks Redirect Ninja over http://, gets sent to https://, and asks over http:// again. Set the record for the source domain to DNS only (grey cloud). The Cloudflare guide.
• The destination redirects https:// back to http://. Some older sites without a certificate do this. Fix HTTPS on the destination site; most hosts can issue a free certificate.

A destination behind Cloudflare’s Flexible mode that also redirects to HTTPS by itself loops for every visitor, with or without your redirect. The checker shows it when you test the destination on its own; the fix is the SSL mode Full (strict) at that site.

The destination is one of your own sources

For example, example.com redirects to example.com/shop, and example.com/shop is itself a source that redirects elsewhere, or back. Point every source straight at its final address, outside your own sources. How path sources are matched.

“Redirect loop detected” from Redirect Ninja

If the destination is exactly the address that was requested, Redirect Ninja does not redirect at all and shows Redirect loop detected instead, so visitors see a clear message rather than a browser error. Edit the redirect and enter a destination on a different domain or path.

Why loops also hurt SEO

Search engines give up on a loop just like browsers do, so neither the old address nor the destination gets credit for the visit. Fix loops before anything else after a domain move. Do redirects hurt SEO?

Something else not working? The full troubleshooting checklist.

Related guides

• Getting started: create your first redirect
• A record vs CNAME: which DNS record to use
• Why you can't use a CNAME on a root domain
• How long does domain forwarding take?
• Domain forwarding not working: troubleshooting checklist
• Redirect a domain without hosting
• What is domain forwarding and how does it work?