It can be really irritating when you encounter the ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS message while accessing your WordPress website. This means that your browser gets stuck in a redirect cycle and finally results in an error message.
However, the good news is that this message is due to a configuration mistake and not because your website is permanently damaged. The most common reasons for this error message include wrong WordPress URLs, HTTP/HTTPS and SSL conflicts, redirect plug-ins, cached data, and wrong server configuration.
This guide will help you fix ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS on WordPress as well as what to do if you cannot access your WordPress dashboard.
Table of Contents
Key Points
- Ensure that the URLs in the WordPress Address and Site Address settings are correct.
- Clean the cache in your browser, WordPress, and CDNs so that you can clear the outdated settings.
- Look out for problems in SSL or HTTPS which might be causing the redirect loop.
- Disable your plugins to find redirect conflicts.
- Check .htaccess file as well as your WordPress URL settings if the problem persists.
- Use reliable WordPress hosting services.
What is ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS Error in WordPress?
The ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS error indicates that your browser has experienced endless redirections between URLs but hasn’t reached the desired page.
For instance, the website can be configured to be redirected from HTTP to HTTPS, whereas another configuration will redirect from HTTPS to HTTP, and so on.
These include WordPress plug-ins, SSL configuration, caching systems, CDN configurations, as well as server settings. HarmonWeb has dealt with this topic in their article about fixing redirection loops in WordPress and described URL and plug-in-related redirects.
Causes of ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS Error in WordPress
A few of the most common causes are:
- Incorrect WordPress address and site address
- Conflicts between HTTP and HTTPS settings
- Incorrect www or non-www configurations
- Conflicts in SSL settings
- Conflicts between redirects and security plugins
- Wrong .htaccess redirect configuration
- Using an old version of your browser or WordPress
- Problems with CDN/proxy server
- Reconfiguration of your hosting/domain services recently
When you know the probable source, it is easy to troubleshoot the issue without doing any additional work.
ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS on Different Browsers
Though the actual problem remains the same, the appearance of the ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS error may vary in accordance with the particular web browser you use. This error may appear on both desktop and mobile devices. Despite being usually attributed to WordPress and server configurations, cached data within browsers may be another cause for the redirect loop issue.
- On Safari, the message reads “Safari cannot open the page. Too many redirects occurred trying to open [domain.tld].”
- On Mozilla Firefox, it displays “The page isn’t redirecting properly. Firefox has detected that the server is redirecting the request for this address in a manner that will never complete.”
- On Google Chrome, it reads “This page isn’t working. [domain.tld] redirected you too many times.
How to Solve ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS
If you want to solve ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS error, then first you should do the following:
1. Delete All Browser Cookies and Cache
It is always best to start from the simplest possible fix. It is very likely that there was a redirect that got cached or an outdated cookie created by your browser. Remove all these and try to access the site.
In order to delete cookies and cache in order to solve the problem, one needs to
- Press the keys Ctrl+Shift+Delete (for Windows), or Cmd+Shift+Delete (for Mac),
- Click “Cookies and other site data” as well as “Cached images and files”.
- Delete the data
Another useful guide for fixing common issues in WordPress sites is HarmonWeb’s guide to fixing common WordPress errors.
2. Your WordPress URL Settings
One of the most frequent issues causing WordPress redirect loops is wrong URL settings. If you can access your admin panel, navigate to:
Settings > General
and review the following two settings:
- WordPress Address (URL)
- Site Address (URL)
Ensure that both settings use the right domain name and protocol.
If your desired website URL is:
https://example.com
then both settings have to be in the same format. Do not create a situation where one URL starts with http:// but the other URL uses https://.
You can also fix URL or domain configuration on Harmonweb by:
- Logging into the client portal
- Clicking on Services
- Selecting your domain name and choosing Domain Redirects from the manage option
- Click Create Forwarder, provide URL forwarding information, choose the type of redirection and save.
3. SSL/HTTPS Settings Check
The SSL certificate ensures security of your website through the use of HTTPS, but if your SSL configuration is not right, there can be cases where redirect loop will occur.
For example, when WordPress redirects users to HTTPS but your hosting environment/proxy tells WordPress that you are connecting via HTTP.
For SSL/HTTPS configuration on HarmonWeb:
- Access the cPanel through the client dashboard
- Select Security
- Click on SSL/TLS Status. This will enable you to see green secure locks active or execute AutoSSL for your websites.
You will also need to choose whether or not your website uses www and stick with that format on your WordPress installation and server. Make sure that your SSL certificate is enabled and your site loads via HTTPS always.
Also, you may take a look at HarmonWeb’s post on how to fix some SSL-related issues in WordPress to get more info on HTTPS and SSL.
4. Disable Redirect Plugin and Others Temporarily
There may be redirects in WordPress to enhance SEO, security, cache, SSL, and other aspects.
If you have just installed or updated any plugin before the occurrence of the error, it is something that you should look into first.
Moreover, if you are able to log into your dashboard, then disable your recently installed or updated plugins. Also, if you are unable to log in to WordPress, you can use your host’s File Manager or FTP client as follows:
- Locate your WordPress installation folder.
- Enter wp-content/ directory.
- Locate your plugins folder.
- Rename it, for instance, to plugins-old.
- Try accessing your website.
If your website loads, rename your plugins folder back and reactivate the plugins one by one to find which causes the problem.
5. Empty WordPress and CDN Caches
Caching may sometimes keep old redirecting rules even when the problem itself is fixed. Empty both your WordPress caching plugin’s cache and the cache of your CDN (Cloudflare and the like), if you use one.
In addition, empty your browser’s cache before performing the test.
For more information about this issue when your website was just changed, visit HarmonWeb’s article about how to fix a WordPress website that doesn’t update immediately.
6. Check the .htaccess File
The .htaccess file of an Apache server may include some redirection commands that impact your site visitors. Having conflicting commands might lead to redirect loops. Prior to making any changes to this file, create a backup copy first.
If you are not sure if the .htaccess file is causing you problems, just rename it for the time being and do not delete it. This will allow you to create new WordPress rewrite rules by visiting:
Settings > Permalinks > Save Changes
Avoid making arbitrary changes to the .htaccess file.
In case a creation of a new .htaccess file did not help, the problem can be associated with SSL certificate or HTTPS protocol.
Preventing ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS
After you resolve the problem on your website, here are some steps that will help prevent another error from occurring:
- Keep your WordPress and theme plugins up to date.
- Do not use different plugins to carry out the same redirect process.
- Stay consistent with your HTTPS setting.
- Create backups of the website before introducing any big modifications.
- Test big modifications before applying them to your website.
- Monitor your SSL certificate and domain name.
- Avoid making unnecessary redirections on your .htaccess file.
Regular modifications to your WordPress site means that having an up-to-date backup will allow you to easily recover should you have any problems with the changes made.
Conclusion
ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS in WordPress generally results when multiple portions of your site conflict in terms of giving redirects. Some common issues include incorrect URLs, SSL issues, plugins, caching, .htaccess, server settings and more.
Clearing your cache and WordPress URLs would be the initial step to take. However, if that does not fix the issue, other common troubleshooting areas need consideration such as SSL, plugins and more.
Stuck With ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS?
If the fixes discussed above didn’t work and your WordPress site continues looping in a redirection loop, it could be due to the configuration of SSL, DNS, CDN, or other server settings.
With HarmonWeb you have access to the most effective WordPress hosting which is optimized for speed and stability as well as WordPress administration.
Are you looking for a more stable WordPress hosting service? Discover HarmonWeb WordPress Hosting and run your WordPress website on optimized hosting.
