Resolving the ‘Too Many Redirects’ Error on Your Website

Resolving the ‘Too Many Redirects’ Error on Your Website
The ‘Too Many Redirects’ error, often known as a “redirect loop”, occurs when your web browser gets stuck in an endless cycle of redirects between URLs. This means the page keeps redirecting to another URL, which then redirects back to the first one, creating an infinite loop that prevents the website from loading properly.
This can happen on websites using HTTPS redirects, URL forwarding, or content management systems (CMS) with incorrect settings. Here’s a guide on how to troubleshoot and resolve the ‘Too Many Redirects’ error on your website.
Common Causes of the ‘Too Many Redirects’ Error
Incorrect Redirect Configuration: Misconfigured redirects in your server settings, .htaccess file, or CMS can cause an endless loop.
Conflicting Redirects: Two or more conflicting redirect rules can create a circular reference, where one redirect sends the browser to a page that redirects back to the original one.
HTTPS and HTTP Conflicts: If you’re using both HTTP and HTTPS versions of your site, you might have conflicting rules for redirecting from HTTP to HTTPS, or vice versa.
Mixed Content in SSL/TLS Setup: If your website has an SSL certificate installed but contains insecure HTTP links, this can cause redirect issues.
Cookie or Cache Issues: Browsers can store redirect information in cookies or cache. If there’s an outdated or corrupted cache, it can cause redirect loops.
WordPress Settings (or other CMS): Sometimes, CMSs like WordPress may have URL settings that point to different URLs, causing internal redirects between them.
Step-by-Step Guide to Fix the ‘Too Many Redirects’ Error
Step 1: Clear Browser Cache and Cookies
Action: Often, browser cache and cookies can store old redirect information that causes the error to persist even after the underlying issue is fixed.
Resolution: Clear the cache and cookies in your browser to reset the stored redirect information.
Chrome: Go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Clear Browsing Data > Choose “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and files” > Clear data.
Firefox: Go to Options > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data > Clear Data.
Step 2: Check and Fix Redirect Rules
Action: Review your redirect settings in your .htaccess file (for Apache servers), nginx.conf (for Nginx servers), or web server configurations.
Resolution:
For Apache servers: Check the .htaccess file for any conflicting redirect rules. You may have something like this causing an infinite loop:
Redirect 301 / https://example.com
Redirect 301 / https://www.example.com
Remove any conflicting rules and ensure the domain is consistent (either with or without “www”).
For Nginx servers: Look at the server block in nginx.conf and ensure no conflicting redirect rules are present.
Step 3: Ensure Correct SSL/HTTPS Redirects
Action: If your website uses SSL (HTTPS), make sure your redirects are set up correctly to avoid conflicts between HTTP and HTTPS versions of your site.
Resolution: Redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS to ensure no circular redirects occur. For example, in .htaccess for Apache:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
For Nginx:
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com www.example.com;
    return 301 https://$server_name$request_uri;
}
Step 4: Check WordPress or CMS Settings
Action: If you are using a content management system like WordPress, check the site URL and home URL settings in your CMS.
Resolution:
In WordPress, go to Settings > General and verify that the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) match exactly (with or without “www” and “http” vs “https”).
If you’re unable to access the WordPress dashboard due to the error, you can manually change the URLs in the wp-config.php file by adding:
define(‘WP_HOME’, ‘https://yourdomain.com’);
define(‘WP_SITEURL’, ‘https://yourdomain.com’);
Step 5: Disable or Review Plugin Conflicts
Action: Some WordPress plugins, such as caching or security plugins, can add redirect rules that conflict with each other, causing the redirect loop.
Resolution: Temporarily disable all plugins to check if the issue is plugin-related. If the site works without plugins, re-enable them one by one to identify the conflicting plugin.
Step 6: Check for Incorrect Domain Settings
Action: Ensure that your domain’s DNS settings are correct and pointing to the right server. Misconfigured DNS settings can sometimes cause issues with redirects.
Resolution: Use a DNS checker to verify that your domain’s A records and CNAME records are correct and pointing to the right IP address.
Step 7: Verify No Mixed Content
Action: If your site is served over HTTPS, ensure that all internal links (images, scripts, stylesheets, etc.) are also using HTTPS. Mixed content (loading HTTP resources on an HTTPS site) can cause the browser to trigger redirect loops.
Resolution: Update all internal links and resources to use HTTPS. You can use plugins like Better Search Replace (for WordPress) to replace HTTP URLs with HTTPS across your site.
Step 8: Disable HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS)
Action: HSTS is a security feature that forces browsers to only connect via HTTPS. If misconfigured, it can cause issues with redirects.
Resolution: If you’ve recently switched from HTTP to HTTPS, HSTS might be cached by browsers. To disable HSTS, remove any HSTS settings from your server or browser. In Nginx, for example, you can remove:
add_header Strict-Transport-Security “max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains” always;
Step 9: Contact Hosting Provider
Action: If you’ve tried all of the above steps and the issue persists, there may be server-side issues causing the redirect loop.
Resolution: Contact your hosting provider’s support team for assistance. They can check server logs, diagnose issues with server settings, and ensure your hosting environment is configured correctly.
Conclusion
The ‘Too Many Redirects’ error is a common issue that can stem from a variety of causes, including misconfigured redirects, SSL conflicts, and CMS settings. By carefully checking your website’s redirect rules, DNS settings, and SSL configuration, you can usually resolve the issue. Clearing your browser cache and ensuring that your site URL settings are consistent are also essential steps in troubleshooting.
If the error persists after you’ve performed these steps, contacting your hosting provider may be the next best option for resolving server-related problems.