What Does Too Many Redirects Mean? How To Fix It

What does too many redirects mean? This error happens when a browser gets caught in a loop of redirections between URLs, so the page doesn’t load, preventing visitors from accessing a WordPress website. Instead, they will see an error message like “ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS” or “This page has a redirect loop.” This guide will help you understand what it is, what causes too many redirects errors, how to diagnose them, and, most importantly, how to fix it so you can get your site back up and running smoothly without hiring a web developer.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The too-many-redirects error means browsers get caught in an infinite redirect loop. This prevents it from loading the webpage because it stops following redirects after a certain number of attempts.
• Different types of redirects serve various purposes, from indicating permanent moves (301) to temporary relocations (302). Understanding them helps in diagnosing issues and implementing proper solutions.
• The most common reasons for a loop of redirects are configuration conflicts between multiple redirect mechanisms, improper settings, or other configuration issues. Browser errors
• Possible solutions include removing conflicting rules, ensuring consistent URLs, and updating software. Start with simple fixes like clearing website caches before moving to more complex changes like changing server configuration files.

What Does Too Many Redirects Mean?

When a person tries to access a website, the browser sends a request to its web hosting server. Sometimes, the server responds to the browser request by sending it to a different web address (URL) called a redirect.

Normally, redirects are helpful in many cases and happen without a visitor even noticing. However, when a website is misconfigured, URL 1 can redirect to URL 2, which then redirects back to URL 1, creating an infinite loop instead of going to the intended destination and stopping the webpage from loading.

Most browsers will attempt to follow these redirects up to a point (usually around 20 tries) before giving up and displaying the ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS error or a similar message. At this point, the browser essentially gives up on trying to load the page to prevent wasting resources on what is essentially a never-ending cycle.

Misconfigured redirects can be frustrating, but they’re usually easy to fix. By understanding the common causes and trying potential solutions, you can resolve this browser error, stop it from happening again, and maintain a smooth user experience.

Types of Redirects

Before going into how to fix this error, understanding the different types of redirects that websites use can help you identify the cause of an infinite redirection loop.

In short, redirects are automatic forwards from one URL to another. They tell browsers that the URL’s content has moved to a different place and should go there instead of the one initially requested.

They are an important part of website management as they help maintain your WordPress site’s SEO (Search Engine Optimization) value when you change URLs so visitors and search engines find the content they’re looking for. However, they must be implemented carefully because it will affect how your content is indexed and ranked.

While there are other types, we’ll focus on the two main ones, 301 and 302 URL redirects. These are the most important to understand and use correctly, especially for technical SEO.

301 (Permanent)

Creating a 301 redirect is done when you’ve permanently changed a page’s address. It signals to search engines that a web page has moved to a new URL and to update its index accordingly. The search engines will transfer most (if not all) of the ranking power (link equity) from the old URL to the new one and eventually de-index the old one.

302 (Temporary)

This means that the move is temporary. Since the content will go back to its original location, this tells search engines that the original URL should still be indexed and that its link equity should be kept instead of transferred to a temporary one. Use this when you are making changes to your site, during maintenance, or A/B testing.

Causes of the Too Many Redirects Error

Now that you have the answer to what does too many redirects mean, here are the most common potential causes:

Plugin Conflicts

When using the WordPress CMS (Content Management System), plugins and themes can occasionally implement their own redirect rules. This can cause loops when multiple plugins try redirecting the same website URL or when a plugin conflicts with the core software or theme. This is particularly common with SEO, security, redirection management, and caching plugins.

Misconfigured .htaccess File Rules

The .htaccess file, used on WordPress installations, controls many server-side behaviors, including handling requests and redirect rules.

One of the most common issues is when conflicting rules are created—for example, one rule redirects from one domain to a subdomain, while a different rule does the opposite, sending the request back and forth.

Additionally, even a small typo or a missing character can cause the server to misinterpret the rules, potentially leading to unexpected redirects or server errors.

Incorrect WordPress Address Settings

Redirect loops can happen if the WordPress Address and Site Address (in the General Settings section) are misconfigured. These settings define the URL where your WordPress files and site data are located and the URL your visitors use to access your website.

If the WordPress Address is set to “http://yourdomain.com” and the Site Address is set to “https://yourdomain.com”, WordPress or your server could get stuck in a loop trying to force HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) over HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol).

SSL and HTTPS Conflicts

Following the above, incorrect configurations can create redirect chains when a site is moved from HTTP to HTTPS with an SSL certificate.

Most of the time, redundancies caused by enabling HTTPS redirects in multiple places (server, WordPress CMS, plugins) can result in conflicting rules that send users back and forth.

If an HTTPS page loads resources over HTTP, trying to upgrade these requests automatically can sometimes cause redirects. However, they often result in broken page elements and mixed content warnings.

While less likely, misconfigured SSL certificates can still be problematic. Incorrect installation, certificate errors, or missing intermediate certificates can lead to connection problems that can appear to be redirect issues.

CDN & Caching Problems

CDNs (Content Delivery Networks) and caching are designed to improve a website’s performance by storing and serving content faster to users. However, if not managed carefully, they can also create problems with redirects.

When a redirect is initially set up on your origin server, browser caches might store that instruction. If you remove or change it, the cached version might still be in the visitors’ browsers.

At the same time, CDNs often have their own rules and settings for handling redirects based on different conditions, meaning conflicts can happen if they differ from the redirects set up on your origin server.

For example, it could intercept requests and apply its own rules before the request reaches your server or after the response, leading to a possible redirect loop.

Incorrect DNS Settings

If the Domain Name System (DNS) records for your domain point to the wrong server or are misconfigured, it can cause a request and redirect cycle between different servers. This is less common in a single server but can play a role in setups involving multiple or proxy servers.

While incorrect DNS settings can cause a website not to load correctly or behave unexpectedly, they are less likely to be the direct cause.

Diagnosing the Issue

As you can see, the too many redirects error can happen for various reasons. This means before implementing fixes, you need to diagnose the root cause, which will help save time and frustration.

The first thing to look at is your web browser because different browsers display redirect errors differently.

• Google Chrome: “ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS” or “This webpage has a redirect loop”
• Mozilla Firefox: “The page isn’t redirecting properly”
• Safari: “Too many redirects occurred trying to open…”

Browser extensions or settings can block redirects, and network configurations can modify DNS or firewall rules.

Check if the error occurs in all browsers or just one, as this can indicate whether the issue is browser-specific or site-wide.

Several online tools can help diagnose issues:

• Redirect Checkers: Tools like redirectdetective.com or httpstatus.io trace redirect chains and identify loops.
• HTTP Header Analyzers: Services like tools.keycdn.com/curl let you see the exact redirect responses your server is sending.
• Website Monitoring: Services like Pingdom or GTmetrix often include redirect analysis in their reports.

SEO tools like Screaming Frog or SEMrush can also scan your site to identify redirect chains and loops.

Fixes for The Too Many Redirects Error

Once you’ve diagnosed the issue, you can start fixing it with the following troubleshooting steps to fix the too many redirects error:

Clear Browser Cache and Cookies

Sometimes, the problem isn’t with your site but with old data stored in your browser. In this case, you need to clear your browser’s cache. Similarly, when you clear cookies it removes any potentially corrupted or conflicting cookies that might contribute to the loop.

The good news is this is usually the quickest answer to what does too many redirects mean and should be your first step before moving to the more complex solutions. To clear cache and cookies in different web browsers:

• Chrome: Go to Settings > Privacy and Security> Clear Browsing Data
• Firefox: Go to Options > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data > Clear Data
• Safari: Go to Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data > Remove All

You can also use a plugin like WP Super Cache to clear your WordPress cache.

Check Your Website’s URL Settings

After checking your browser, the next step is to make sure your WordPress Address and Site Address settings are identical in your WordPress admin dashboard under General Settings. If these are different, WordPress might get confused about the correct URLs to use when generating links and handling requests.

Make sure both consistently use either the HTTP or HTTPS protocol. These SSL settings help keep your site secure, so both URLs should start with https:// for encrypted data transfers.

To help prevent this, our WordPress Hosting plans include a free SSL certificate that we will install and configure on the server level to keep your site visitor information safe.

Check .htaccess File

For this method, you’ll need to use your cPanel File Manager in your WordPress host’s control panel to locate the .htaccess file in your root directory folder.

Once you’ve found it, right-click on the file to see options to “View” and “Edit.” Look for redirect rules that might be causing a loop and manually correct or remove any conflicting rules.

Alternatively, rename the file. This effectively disables all the rules in it without deleting anything, and the loop should disappear if the .htaccess is the problem.

Return to your WordPress dashboard. Click on Settings > Permalinks and hit Save Changes to generate a new default .htaccess file for WordPress automatically.

Important! Before you modify the .htaccess file, back it up and download it to your computer so you have a restore point to upload if anything goes wrong.

Check for Faulty Plugins and Updates

Temporarily deactivate all plugins (via an FTP client if you can’t access the WordPress dashboard) and reactivate them individually, testing the site after each activation to see which one may be the problem. Pay special attention to these specific types of plugins:

• SEO plugins
• Security plugins
• Caching plugins
• Redirect plugins

Additionally, outdated core software, themes, and plugins can contain bugs that trigger the redirect loop error. Make sure you are running the latest versions.

Check SSL and HTTPS Configuration

Verify that your SSL certificate is properly installed and that you’re not forcing HTTPS in multiple places. Review your redirect rules to ensure they correctly direct HTTP to HTTPS without creating a loop.

Use your browser’s developer tools (usually under the Security tab) to inspect the SSL certificate to confirm it hasn’t expired and that the domain name on the certificate matches your website’s address.

Ensure all internal links always use HTTPS instead of HTTP, as a mismatch can cause a redirect loop.

Reset CDN and Caching Configuration

Start by disabling the CDN to test if it’s causing the issue. From there, purge its cache (everything or specific URLs) in your CDN’s dashboard and clear server-side caches. This forces it to fetch your origin server’s latest content and configurations.

Check the CDN’s redirect settings to ensure they are compatible with your main server’s SSL settings (e.g., encryption mode, certificate handling).

Fix DNS Settings

Ensuring your domain is correctly connected to your server is essential for redirects to work as intended. Access the account where your DNS records are managed and check the following, as they are most likely to be related to website access issues:

• A Records: These map your domain and subdomains to IP addresses. Ensure your main A record points to the correct IP address of your web host’s server.
• CNAME Records: Check if any CNAME records are directing traffic to your site and ensure they point to the correct target domain.
• NS Records: Specify which servers are authoritative for your domain’s DNS. If you’ve changed providers, ensure these are set correctly.

If none of the above works, it’s time to contact your hosting provider. Hosted.com’s expert Customer Support Team is always available to help you with any WordPress-related issues.

Preventing Future Errors

Prevention is always better than fixing problems after the fact, especially for new website owners. Following these best practices can help you avoid future errors:

• Use the right redirects (301 for permanent, 302 for temporary), and use as few as necessary.
• Implement redirects at the server level rather than using plugins if possible.
• Direct users straight to pages rather than through multiple steps.
• Test all redirect configuration changes thoroughly in a staging site before adding them to your live website.
• Use development tools like the Chrome browser’s DevTools (F)12 to keep an eye on redirect behavior.

FAQS

Other Blogs of Interest

– How To Setup WordPress Redirects, And Why You Need Them

– Understanding The 401 Error Code: Causes And Fixes

– How To Fix A WordPress Critical Error (Step by Step)

– WordPress Website Maintenance Plan: What to Include

– Website Development Process From Concept to Launch