Redirect Error Resolution
"ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS." Your WordPress site is caught in an infinite loop. We find the cause and break the cycle.
Redirect loops are one of the cleanest examples of a WordPress problem with a specific, diagnosable cause. They're triggered by SSL misconfigurations, contradictory `wp-config.php` settings, caching conflicts, or malicious redirect rules in `.htaccess`. Each cause has a precise fix.
Invisible to You, Broken for Everyone Else
The redirect loop is often discovered by a visitor or a client before the site owner. You have the site bookmarked and your browser has cached the previous working URL, so you don't see the error. A visitor clicks your link from LinkedIn and gets "ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS." They assume your business is offline.
This error is particularly damaging because it presents as "site is down" rather than "error message", there's no content at all, just a browser-level failure. Visitors have no way of knowing whether to try again later or whether the business has closed.
The SSL Configuration That Nobody Warned You About
The most common cause of WordPress redirect loops is an SSL/HTTPS misconfiguration, specifically, a conflict between what your hosting server is doing with SSL and what WordPress thinks should be happening.
When Cloudflare or your load balancer terminates SSL before the request reaches your server, the server sees an HTTP request. If WordPress is configured with `FORCE_SSL_ADMIN` or has `https://` in its site URL settings, it sends a redirect to HTTPS. The server receives the redirect as another HTTP request. It sends another redirect. The browser gives up after approximately 20 attempts.
Your hosting company configured Cloudflare without telling you this would happen. WordPress's HTTPS settings were never updated to account for it. Nobody told you these two things would conflict. And now your site redirects forever.
Redirect Loop Diagnosis and Resolution
SSL Conflict Detection
- Verify whether SSL is terminated at Cloudflare/CDN level before reaching the origin server - Check `wp-config.php` for conflicting HTTPS force settings - Review WordPress general settings (siteurl, home) for process mismatch
htaccess Audit
- Review `.htaccess` for conflicting redirect rules, including rules added by caching plugins, security plugins, and previous developers - Identify any malicious redirect rules injected by attackers
Database URL Fix
- Correct `siteurl` and `home` values in the `wp_options` database table to ensure process consistency - Verify that multisite configurations don't have conflicting URL structures
Cache Purge
- Clear all caching layers (server cache, CDN cache, browser cache) after fixing the underlying issue to prevent cached redirects from persisting
Post-Mortem Report
Case Study: The Migration That Created a Permanent Redirect Loop
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Get a Free AuditCommon questions
Questions answered.
My site works for me but not for others. Why?
Your browser has cached the last working version of the redirect chain and resolves it from cache. Visitors with no cache see the infinite loop. Try visiting the site in an incognito window to see what new visitors experience.
Will fixing the redirect loop affect my SEO?
A redirect loop is a crawl blocker, Google cannot index pages that are stuck in a loop. Fixing it restores crawlability. Any rankings that dropped during the loop period typically recover within 2–4 weeks.
I use Cloudflare. Is that likely the cause?
Cloudflare + WordPress HTTPS misconfigurations are the most common cause we see. Specifically, Cloudflare's "Flexible SSL" mode combined with WordPress HTTPS enforcement creates the exact conditions for an infinite redirect loop.
How long does redirect loop diagnosis take?
Usually 30–60 minutes. The cause is typically identifiable from the combination of Cloudflare settings, WordPress database URL values, and `.htaccess` content, all of which we review immediately.
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