How to Fix a Redirect Loop

What is a redirect loop?

The server (or CDN) keeps sending the browser to another URL, which then sends it back, e.g. https://example.com → https://www.example.com → https://example.com → … After a few hops the browser stops and shows ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS (Chrome) or similar. Fix: find which two (or more) rules are fighting and keep only one path, e.g. always end on https://www.example.com or always on https://example.com.

How to trace the redirect loop

Before touching config, see the exact chain. Two ways:

1. HTTPS checker: Enter your domain on our checker. If there’s a loop, the report will show the chain (repeated URLs). That tells you which hosts or paths are bouncing (e.g. www vs non-www, or HTTP vs HTTPS).
2. Browser DevTools: Open DevTools (F12) → Network tab, enable “Preserve log,” then load the URL. You’ll see each redirect (301/302) and the next URL. Follow the chain until you see it repeat.

Once you’ve got the chain (e.g. www → non-www → www), fix the rule that shouldn’t be there, or make sure only one side does the redirect.

Common causes of redirect loops

• www vs non-www: One rule sends www → non-www, another sends non-www → www. Keep a single canonical choice and redirect the other to it in one place only.
• HTTP → HTTPS in the wrong block: If the HTTPS server block (port 443) also issues a redirect to HTTPS, every HTTPS request gets redirected again → loop. Put the “redirect HTTP to HTTPS” rule only in the port 80 block.
• CDN + origin both redirecting: Cloudflare (or another CDN) redirects HTTP to HTTPS, and your origin also redirects HTTP to HTTPS. The CDN may send the request to the origin over HTTP; the origin then redirects to HTTPS; the CDN might send again to origin over HTTP → loop. Fix: either turn off “Always Use HTTPS” at the CDN and do the redirect only at the origin, or turn off the HTTP→HTTPS redirect at the origin and let the CDN handle it (Cloudflare recommends the latter).
• Nginx if + rewrite: Using if with rewrite when both www and non-www are in server_name can cause repeated evaluation and a loop. Prefer separate server blocks instead.

Fixing a redirect loop in Nginx

Use separate server blocks for each “role”: one for HTTP (port 80) that redirects to HTTPS, one for the non-canonical host (e.g. www) that redirects to the canonical host, and one for the canonical HTTPS site that serves content. Avoid redirecting inside the block that serves content.

Example: canonical site is https://example.com. Then:

# 1) HTTP → HTTPS (port 80 only)
server {
  listen 80;
  server_name example.com www.example.com;
  return 301 https://example.com$request_uri;
}

# 2) www HTTPS → non-www HTTPS (canonical)
server {
  listen 443 ssl;
  server_name www.example.com;
  ssl_certificate     /path/to/fullchain.pem;
  ssl_certificate_key /path/to/privkey.pem;
  return 301 https://example.com$request_uri;
}

# 3) Canonical HTTPS – serve site here (no redirect)
server {
  listen 443 ssl;
  server_name example.com;
  ssl_certificate     /path/to/fullchain.pem;
  ssl_certificate_key /path/to/privkey.pem;
  root /var/www/html;
  # ...
}

Do not put a redirect to HTTPS inside the HTTPS server blocks. Do not use a single server block with if ($host = ...) and rewrite for both www and non-www, that often causes loops. After editing, run sudo nginx -t then sudo systemctl reload nginx.

Fixing a redirect loop in Apache (.htaccess)

Rule order matters. If you have both “force HTTPS” and “force www” (or “force non-www”), they can conflict. Decide on one final URL (e.g. https://example.com) and do a single redirect to it. For example, first force HTTPS, then in a separate rule force the canonical host, but ensure the second rule doesn’t match the first rule’s target, or you get a loop.

Example: canonical is https://example.com. Force HTTPS first, then send www to non-www:

RewriteEngine On

# 1) HTTP → HTTPS
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

# 2) www → non-www (only when already HTTPS to avoid double redirect)
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.(.+)$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%1/$1 [L,R=301]

If your server is behind a proxy, %{HTTPS} may always be off; in that case use RewriteCond %{HTTP:X-Forwarded-Proto} !https for the HTTPS check. Keep rule order clear so you never redirect the canonical URL back to the non-canonical one.

Fixing a redirect loop with Cloudflare

If you use Cloudflare and get a loop, usually both Cloudflare and your origin are redirecting. Cloudflare’s docs recommend: do not do HTTP→HTTPS redirect at the origin when “Always Use HTTPS” is on at Cloudflare, otherwise the request can bounce (Cloudflare sends to origin on HTTP, origin redirects to HTTPS, repeat). Either:

• Turn on Always Use HTTPS in Cloudflare (SSL/TLS → Edge Certificates) and remove the HTTP→HTTPS redirect from your origin, or
• Turn off Always Use HTTPS at Cloudflare and do the redirect only at your origin.

For www vs non-www, use a single Redirect Rule in Cloudflare that sends (e.g.) https://www.example.com/* to https://example.com/$1 with 301. Don’t also redirect non-www to www at the origin if Cloudflare is sending www to non-www, or you can get a loop.