You click on your website link, expecting to see your homepage. But instead of your beautiful design, you see a blank white screen with a scary error message:
“ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS”
Or maybe it says: “This webpage has a redirect loop.”
It is frustrating. It is confusing. And for a business owner, it is terrifying because it means your customers cannot see your site.
But do not panic. While this error looks technical, it is actually very common. It usually means your website is confused. It is trying to send the visitor to Page A, but Page A sends them to Page B, and Page B sends them back to Page A. The browser gets stuck running in circles until it gives up.
In this guide, we will walk you through exactly how to fix this. We will start with the easy fixes (taking 1 minute) and move to the advanced methods if you are really stuck.
Here is how to get your WordPress site back online in 2026.
The Easy Fixes (Try These First)
Before we start hacking into site files, let’s rule out the simple problems. 90% of the time, the issue isn’t even your website—it is your computer.
1. Delete Your Browser Cookies and Cache
Sometimes, your website is actually working fine. The problem is that your web browser (Chrome, Firefox, or Safari) is “remembering” an old version of the site that was broken.
Your browser saves data (cookies and cache) to make websites load faster. But if it saves an error, it will keep showing you that error even after you fix the site.
How to test this: Try opening your website in an Incognito Window (or Private Mode).
If the site works in Incognito mode, the problem is your browser cache.
If the site is still broken in Incognito mode, the problem is your website.
How to clear cache in Google Chrome:
Click the three dots in the top right corner.
Select Delete Browsing Data.
Check the box for “Cached images and files” and “Cookies”.
Click Delete Data.
Restart your browser and try again.
2. Check Your URL Settings
This is the most common reason for a redirect loop.
Your WordPress site has a “Home” address and a “Site” address. These tell the website where it lives on the internet.
If your settings say
http://yoursite.comBut your server is forcing
https://yoursite.com
Then your site enters a loop. The settings say “Go to HTTP,” but the server says “No, go to HTTPS.” They fight forever.
If you can log in to your Dashboard:
Go to Settings.
Click on General.
Look at the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL).
Make sure they are exactly the same.
Make sure they both start with
https://(if you have an SSL certificate).Click Save Changes.
If you CANNOT log in to your Dashboard: If the error is locking you out of your admin area, do not worry. You can force these settings to be correct using a configuration file.
Connect to your site using an FTP tool (like FileZilla) or your Hosting File Manager.
Find the file named
wp-config.php.Right-click and edit it.
Add these lines of code just before the line that says “That’s all, stop editing”:
PHPdefine('WP_HOME', 'https://yourdomain.com'); define('WP_SITEURL', 'https://yourdomain.com');Save the file. This forces your site to use the correct address.
Plugin and Server Conflicts
If the URL settings are correct but the site is still broken, a plugin might be the culprit.
3. Identify the Bad Plugin
Plugins are great, but sometimes they break. Redirect plugins (like “Redirection” or “Yoast SEO Premium”) let you set up custom redirects. If you accidentally set up a rule that says “Page A goes to Page B” and “Page B goes to Page A,” you break the site.
Since you likely cannot log in to turn off plugins, you have to do it manually.
The “Rename” Trick:
Connect to your site via FTP.
Go to the
wp-contentfolder.Find the folder named
plugins.Right-click and Rename it to
plugins_old.Try to load your website.
Did it work?
Yes: It was a bad plugin! Now, rename the folder back to
plugins. Go inside the folder and rename individual plugin folders one by one until you find the specific one causing the crash.No: The plugins are innocent. Change the folder name back to
pluginsand move to the next step.
4. Reset Your .htaccess File
Your website has a small, invisible file called .htaccess. Think of this file as a traffic cop. It tells your server how to handle visitors.
Sometimes, a plugin writes bad rules into this file, causing the traffic cop to send cars (visitors) in circles.
How to create a fresh file:
Connect via FTP.
Find the
.htaccessfile in your main folder.Rename it to
.htaccess_backup. (This turns it off).Try to load your site.
If your site loads now, you need to create a clean traffic cop.
Log in to your WordPress Dashboard.
Go to Settings > Permalinks.
Do not change anything. Just click Save Changes at the bottom.
WordPress will automatically generate a fresh, error-free
.htaccessfile for you.
The Technical Fixes (SSL & Cloudflare)
In 2026, almost every website uses HTTPS (the green padlock) and a CDN like Cloudflare. Misconfiguring these is a huge cause of redirect loops.
5. The Cloudflare “Flexible SSL” Loop
If you use Cloudflare, pay attention. This is the #1 cause of this error for Cloudflare users.
Cloudflare has an SSL setting called “Flexible.” In this mode, Cloudflare talks to your users securely (HTTPS), but talks to your server insecurely (HTTP). If your WordPress site is set to force HTTPS, it creates a loop:
Cloudflare sends a request to your site via HTTP.
Your site says “No, I only accept HTTPS” and redirects back.
Cloudflare sees the redirect and tries again via HTTP.
Result: Infinite loop.
How to fix it:
Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard.
Go to the SSL/TLS tab.
Change the setting from Flexible to Full or Full (Strict).
Clear the Cloudflare cache.
6. Clear Server Cache
You cleared your browser cache in Step 1. But your hosting server (like SiteGround, WP Engine, or Bluehost) has its own cache too.
If you made changes but the error won’t go away, your server might be showing you an old, “stuck” version of the site.
Log in to your hosting control panel.
Look for a button that says “Flush Cache,” “Clear Varnish,” or “Purge NGINX.”
Click it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Will this error hurt my Google Ranking?
If you fix it quickly (within 24 hours), no. But if your site stays down for days, Google will notice. They will see the error and start dropping your rankings because they don’t want to send users to a broken page. Fixing it fast is key.
I fixed it, but my admin area is still locked. Why?
Sometimes the “front end” of your site works, but wp-admin is stuck in a loop. This is usually a permissions error. Check that your user has the right permissions in the database, or ask your host to check the wp-login.php file.
Can a theme cause this?
Yes, but it is rare. Some complex themes have their own redirect settings. You can test this by renaming your themes folder via FTP (just like we did with plugins) to see if the site reverts to a default theme.
Conclusion
The “Too Many Redirects” error looks scary, but it is just a simple miscommunication. Your browser and your server are disagreeing on where to go.
To recap, here is your checklist:
Clear Browser Cache: Make sure it’s not just your computer.
Check URLs: Ensure your Home and Site URLs match.
Check Plugins: Disable them to see if one is rogue.
Reset .htaccess: Get a fresh traffic cop.
Check Cloudflare: Switch SSL to “Full.”
If you have tried all 5 steps and your site is still spinning in circles, the issue might be deep in your server configuration. Do not waste days trying to guess the problem.
Need an expert hand? Contact Our WordPress Support Team today. We solve errors like this every day. We can log in, find the loop, and get your business back online in minutes, not days.
(Speed Check: Once your site is back, run it through GTmetrix to make sure the error didn’t slow down your page load time.)
For more tips on maintaining a healthy site, check out the official WordPress support guides.
