ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS: how to fix a redirect loop

You open a page and the browser says “This page isn’t working: example.com redirected you too many times”, or shows the code ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS. The site is sending your browser in circles, and the browser gives up after about twenty hops. This guide explains why and how to fix it, whether you are the visitor or the owner.

What a redirect is

A redirect is an instruction from a server saying “the page you want is somewhere else, go there”. They are everywhere and usually invisible: from http to https, from example.com to www.example.com, from an old page to a new one. They use status codes in the 300 range, mainly 301 (moved permanently) and 302 (moved temporarily). See HTTP status codes explained.

A loop happens when the destination sends you back to where you started. Page A says go to B, and B says go to A. Browsers stop after a limit and show the error rather than spinning forever.

If you are a visitor

Most cases that affect only you come from a stale or conflicting cookie, because many sites use a cookie to decide where to send you after sign-in.

Check it is not everyone. Paste the address into the website checker. If it also fails for us, the problem is on the site and only the owner can fix it. Wait and try later.
Clear cookies for that site only. You do not need to wipe everything. In the address bar, open the site information, choose cookies or site settings, and delete the data for that one site. Our guide to clearing cache and cookies shows each browser.
Try a private window. It starts with no cookies and no extensions. If the page loads there, the cause is a cookie or an extension in your normal window.
Turn off extensions. Privacy and security extensions can interfere with redirects. Disable them one at a time to find the culprit.
Check your device clock. A badly wrong date can break sign-in and security flows that rely on timing.

If you own the site

When everyone sees the loop, it is nearly always a configuration problem. The common causes are:

HTTPS rules fighting each other. Your server forces HTTPS, while a proxy or CDN in front of it connects to the server over plain HTTP. The server redirects to HTTPS, the proxy fetches it again over HTTP, and the loop never ends. The fix is to set the proxy’s encryption mode to connect securely to the origin, not to remove the redirect.
www and non-www rules in conflict. One rule sends www to the bare domain while another sends the bare domain to www. Pick one canonical form and make sure only one rule exists.
A CMS address mismatch. In WordPress and similar systems the “site address” and “home address” settings must match what is actually served. A wrong value can redirect forever.
Plugins or caching. Two plugins that both enforce a redirect, or a cached redirect that no longer matches your rules, can cause a loop. Disable redirect and security plugins one at a time and purge the cache.
Redirects on the login page. A rule that sends visitors who are not signed in to the login page, combined with a login page that is also protected, creates a circle.

How to see the loop

The clearest way is to follow the chain. Our redirect checker shows each hop with its status code and destination, so you can spot the address that repeats. The same can be done with a command line tool by asking it to show headers and not follow redirects. Once you see the repeating pair of addresses, the rule responsible is usually obvious.

Prevent it coming back

Keep a single place where redirects are defined, rather than rules in the server, the CMS and the CDN all at once. After any change to HTTPS, domains or a proxy, test the home page, a deep page and the login page in a fresh private window. A monitor that follows redirects will alert you if a loop appears after a deploy.

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Last updated 2 November 2026. Written by the siteupdown.com team. Spotted a mistake?

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