ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS
WordPress Errors
Two rules are pointing at each other, and the browser gave up.
The browser refuses to load the page: “ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS”, “The page isn't redirecting properly”, or “redirected you too many times”. Often the whole site, sometimes only certain URLs.
What it actually means
A redirect tells the browser to go somewhere else. A redirect loop is two or more instructions pointing at each other — A sends you to B, B sends you back to A — so the browser follows the circle a fixed number of times, decides it is never going to end, and stops.
Nothing has crashed. Every individual rule is doing exactly what it was told. The problem is that they were told contradictory things, usually by two different systems that do not know about each other.
What usually causes it
Most likely first.
- 1
www and non-www fighting
One rule forces www, another strips it. Each undoes the other forever.
- 2
HTTPS redirects at two layers
A CDN forces HTTPS while telling the origin the request was HTTP, so the origin redirects to HTTPS again. Classic with Cloudflare's flexible SSL mode.
- 3
Site URL settings disagreeing with server rules
WordPress redirects to the address in its settings while .htaccess redirects somewhere else.
- 4
A redirect plugin with a circular rule
An entry pointing a URL at itself, or two rules that quietly complete a circle.
- 5
A stale redirect after a migration
Old rules from a previous structure still pointing at addresses that now point back.
How to fix it
Work through these in order. Take a backup before you change anything.
Step 1 — Trace the chain
Use a redirect checker or the browser network tab to see each hop. The loop becomes obvious the moment you can see A → B → A written down.
Step 2 — Pick one canonical address
Decide on https://www or https:// without www, and make everything agree — WordPress settings, .htaccess, CDN, and any plugin rules.
Step 3 — Check your CDN SSL mode
If you use Cloudflare, set SSL to Full or Full (strict) rather than Flexible. Flexible mode is the most common cause of this loop on otherwise healthy sites.
Step 4 — Disable redirect plugins
Turn off SEO and redirect plugins over SFTP, then reload. If the loop clears, one of their rules closes the circle.
Step 5 — Regenerate .htaccess
Rename it and let WordPress write a clean file, then add back only the rules you actually need.
When to stop and call someone
Call someone if the loop only affects some visitors or some regions, which usually points at CDN configuration, or if it appeared after a migration and the redirect map is large enough that untangling it by hand risks losing your SEO along with the loop.
Frequently asked
Two or more redirect rules pointing at each other, so the browser is sent in a circle and stops after a set number of hops. The most common pairs are www versus non-www rules, and HTTPS redirects applied at both a CDN and the origin server.
Choose one canonical address and make every layer agree with it — WordPress site settings, .htaccess, your CDN, and any redirect plugin. Then trace the chain with a redirect checker to confirm the loop is gone rather than merely moved.
Yes, most often through the Flexible SSL setting. Cloudflare connects to your origin over HTTP while serving HTTPS to visitors, so the origin keeps redirecting to HTTPS. Switching to Full or Full (strict) resolves it.
Because a specific rule is responsible rather than a site-wide setting. A redirect plugin entry pointing a URL at itself, or a leftover rule from an old structure, will loop those URLs while the rest of the site works normally.
Occasionally, if a stale cookie is influencing the redirect, and it costs nothing to try. But if every visitor sees the loop, the cause is server or CDN configuration and clearing your own browser will not change anything.
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