ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS — What It Means & How to Fix It

What Does This Error Mean?

ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS means a website keeps redirecting you in an endless loop. A redirect is when a website automatically sends you from one page to another. Normally this happens once — for example, from 'http' to 'https'. But when two pages redirect to each other, or one page redirects to itself, your browser gets stuck in an infinite loop and gives up after about 20 attempts.

Affected Models

Google Chrome
Microsoft Edge
Firefox
Safari
All modern browsers
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS

Common Causes

The website has a misconfigured redirect rule (for example, HTTP and HTTPS both redirecting to each other)
Your browser's cookies for this site have become corrupted and are causing a redirect loop
A WordPress or CMS site has incorrect URL settings in its database
A CDN or proxy service (like Cloudflare) is set up incorrectly and creating a redirect loop
Your browser's cached redirect data is outdated and no longer matches the server's current setup

How to Fix It

Clear your browser's cookies for the affected site. In Chrome, click the lock icon (or 'Not secure') in the address bar, then 'Cookies'. Delete all cookies for that domain. Reload the page.

Corrupted cookies are the most common cause of redirect loops that appear on websites you have visited before.
Clear your browser cache completely. In Chrome, press Ctrl+Shift+Delete, select 'All time', check Cookies and Cached images and files, and click Clear data. Restart Chrome.

Chrome sometimes caches redirect rules. Clearing all cached data forces a fresh start.
Try opening the site in an Incognito window (Ctrl+Shift+N in Chrome). Incognito starts with no cookies or cache. If it works there, your cookies or cache are the problem.

This is a quick diagnostic step to confirm where the issue lies.
Try accessing the site with a different URL variation. If you are visiting 'http://example.com', try 'https://example.com' (with the 's'). Or add or remove 'www.' from the address.

The redirect loop may only affect one version of the URL.
Try a different browser or device to confirm if the problem is your browser or the website. If the site also loops in another browser, the problem is the website's configuration — not yours.

If it fails on all browsers, notify the website's owner.

When to Call a Professional

If this is your own website, check your .htaccess file (Apache) or server redirect rules for conflicting instructions. WordPress users should check Settings > General and make sure the Site URL and WordPress URL match and use the correct http/https prefix. If you use Cloudflare, check that your SSL/TLS setting is not causing an HTTP-to-HTTPS loop.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a redirect loop?

A redirect loop is when two or more URLs keep sending you back and forth between them. For example, Page A redirects to Page B, and Page B redirects back to Page A. Your browser follows the redirects but they never end. After about 20 redirects, Chrome gives up and shows this error.

Can I fix this myself or does the website owner need to fix it?

If clearing your cookies and cache fixes it, it was a client-side issue and you solved it. If the loop persists after clearing everything, the problem is in the website's server configuration. Only the website owner can fix that. You should contact them and describe the problem.

Why does this happen on some sites after they upgrade to HTTPS?

When a website moves from HTTP to HTTPS, the webmaster must set up the redirect correctly. A common mistake is having the HTTP version redirect to HTTPS, while HTTPS is also set to redirect back to HTTP. The result is an infinite loop. The fix requires the webmaster to correct their redirect rules so traffic only flows in one direction.