How to Fix ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS

ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS means the browser detected a redirect loop — the server keeps sending the browser back and forth between URLs without ever serving a page. Chrome gives up after 20 redirects. Other browsers have similar limits.

The error message varies by browser:

• Chrome: "This page isn't working. example.com redirected you too many times."
• Firefox: "The page isn't redirecting properly"
• Safari: "Safari can't open the page because too many redirects occurred"
• Edge: Same as Chrome (Chromium-based)

Here is how to fix it, starting with the quickest client-side checks and moving to server-side root causes.

Step 1: Clear Cookies for the Site

Cookies are the most common client-side cause. A redirect rule may depend on a cookie value, and a stale or corrupted cookie creates a loop.

If the error persists in incognito mode, the problem is server-side. Move to the next steps.

Step 2: Check HTTPS Redirect Configuration

The most common server-side cause is a conflict between HTTP-to-HTTPS redirects and HTTPS-to-HTTP redirects. This creates a loop:

http://example.com → (server forces HTTPS) → https://example.com
https://example.com → (something forces HTTP) → http://example.com
→ repeat forever

Common causes:

• Mixed SSL settings: Your server or CDN terminates SSL but forwards requests as HTTP internally. The app sees HTTP and redirects to HTTPS, which comes back as HTTP again.
• Cloudflare SSL mode set to "Flexible": Cloudflare connects to your origin over HTTP while serving users over HTTPS. If your origin also forces HTTPS, you get a loop.
• WordPress siteurl and home mismatch: One is set to http:// while HTTPS is forced elsewhere.

The Fix

# Check what your server actually returns (bypass CDN if possible)
curl -sI "http://example.com" | grep -iE "^(HTTP/|location:)"
curl -sI "https://example.com" | grep -iE "^(HTTP/|location:)"

Both commands should show a clear, one-direction redirect chain. If HTTP redirects to HTTPS and HTTPS also redirects — you have your loop.

Step 3: Review .htaccess Rules (Apache)

On Apache servers, .htaccess is the usual suspect. Conflicting or overlapping redirect rules create loops.

# COMMON LOOP: These two rules fight each other
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [R=301,L]

# ... elsewhere in the file or in another .htaccess:
RewriteCond %{HTTP:X-Forwarded-Proto} !https
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [R=301,L]

Step 4: Fix Cloudflare SSL Mode

If you use Cloudflare, this is one of the most common causes.

The fix: Set Cloudflare SSL mode to Full or Full (Strict). If you have a valid SSL certificate on your origin (you should), use Full (Strict).

Go to Cloudflare Dashboard > SSL/TLS > Overview and change the mode.

Step 5: Fix WordPress-Specific Issues

WordPress adds its own layer of redirect complexity.

Check siteurl and home Values

-- Run in your WordPress database (or use phpMyAdmin)
SELECT option_name, option_value
FROM wp_options
WHERE option_name IN ('siteurl', 'home');

Both values must use the same protocol (https://) and the same domain format (with or without www — but consistent). A mismatch creates a loop.

If you cannot access the admin panel, fix it directly in wp-config.php:

define('WP_HOME', 'https://example.com');
define('WP_SITEURL', 'https://example.com');

Check Plugin Conflicts

SSL plugins (Really Simple SSL, WP Force SSL), caching plugins, and redirect plugins can conflict with each other or with server-level redirects.

Step 6: Check for CDN or Load Balancer Issues

If you use a CDN or load balancer that terminates SSL, the backend server may not know the original request was HTTPS. It sees HTTP and redirects to HTTPS, which the CDN/LB sends back as HTTP again.

The fix: Configure your backend to check the X-Forwarded-Proto header instead of the direct connection protocol:

# Apache — redirect only when the original client request was HTTP
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP:X-Forwarded-Proto} =http
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [R=301,L]

# Nginx — same logic
if ($http_x_forwarded_proto = "http") {
    return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
}

Quick Diagnostic Checklist

---

Most redirect loops come from SSL misconfigurations. Check Cloudflare, check .htaccess, check your protocol settings — in that order.