Fix ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS in WordPress

While developing your WordPress website, you may have encountered several errors. One of the most popular is the ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS error. In Google Chrome it will be shown as (This webpage has a redirect loop), in Firefox it will be shown as: (The page isn’t redirecting properly). Typically this error indicates that there is an incorrect configuration in your WordPress settings file, a redirect loop occurs – your site is unable to stop the process of redirecting from one page to another. This error is usually caused by WordPress plugins. Don’t worry as the solution to this error can be quick and easy.

Checking URL Settings via the Admin Console

In the WordPress admin console, click Settings. By default, your General Settings will be displayed. Check WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL). Make sure the URLs you see are correct. If your WordPress installation is in the /public_html/wp/ subdirectory, then the URL should be www.example.com/wp. After making changes, be sure to click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the page.

Checking/Changing URL Settings Manually

You may not be able to log into your WordPress admin console. In this case, you can change the URL settings using the wp-config.php file. You can edit the file using a file manager or by downloading, editing and re-uploading it via an FTP client.

Disabling plugins

Another reason that can cause the ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS error is a faulty/out-of-date plugin version. It’s a good idea to turn off all plugins and turn them on one at a time, checking to see if the site is working each time. This way you can identify the cause of the error. Another option for disabling plugins is to rename the plugin folders on the server.

Disabling the .htaccess file

Another reason when cyclic redirects occur and the error ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS may be the settings in the .htaccess file. In this case, you can disable the .htaccess file to restore access to the site. Go to File Manager from your Control Panel. Rename your .htaccess file to something else, such as .htaccess1. If the site works, you can check the settings of the .htaccess file. Open the file by clicking Edit. If you’re not sure what it should look like, try using the default .htaccess configuration:

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ – [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
# END WordPress

Just delete all the contents of the .htaccess1 file and paste these rules there. Once you’re done, rename the .htaccess1 file back to .htaccess. If your WordPress site is running with the default rules, this only confirms that the problem was caused by incorrect settings in the .htaccess file.

Conclusion

In this guide, we have shown three possible solutions to resolve the ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS error in WordPress.