Redirect Loop Detector
A redirect loop detector tests URLs for circular redirection traps where a page redirects back to itself or to an earlier URL in the redirection sequence (such as URL A pointing to URL B, and URL B pointing back to URL A). This error triggers browser "ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS" crashes and completely prevents search engines from indexing the page.
Traces up to 10 hops with automated circular reference detection and cycle termination.
Hop Inspection Log
What is a redirect loop detector and when should you use it?
A redirect loop occurs when web server configuration rules, plugin redirects, or CDN edge handlers route requests in an endless cycle. Common culprits include conflicting HTTPS rewrite rules, conflicting www and non-www canonical definitions, trailing slash mismatches, or geo-targeting logic that loops indefinitely. When a search engine crawler encounters a redirect loop, it quickly exhausts its hop allowance, logs a crawl failure, and drops the page from search results. Use this tool to isolate loop breakpoints, or trace full redirect progression with our Redirect Chain Checker. For protocol routing verification, test with the HTTP to HTTPS Redirect Checker or audit Apache and Nginx configurations with the Redirect Code Generator.
How do you use it?
- Enter the suspected URL into the detector input field.
- Click the Detect Loops button to run a multi-hop traversal query.
- Review the loop diagnostic verdict to see if circular references were discovered.
- Inspect the detailed hop sequence to locate the exact URL triggering the recursive loop.
- Correct the conflicting rewrite rule or application redirect on your web server.
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Result interpretation & practical applications
When evaluating the output of the redirect loop detector, review the parsed metrics against your specific site architecture. Outputs are formatted for direct implementation into your HTML source, web server configuration, or Google Search Console audit files.
Always inspect generated values for contextual nuance. Automated tools highlight structural patterns, but manual verification confirms that technical directives align with your overarching SEO strategy.
Technical rules and limitations
- Modern web browsers terminate redirect loops after 20 hops and display `ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS`; Googlebot halts after 5 hops.
- A self-redirect occurs when URL A returns a 3xx code pointing directly back to URL A.
- A multi-hop loop occurs when URL A redirects to URL B, which redirects to URL C, which redirects back to URL A or B.
- Our backend maintains an in-memory normalized visit register to catch circular paths safely without server hanging.
Common mistakes and troubleshooting
- Configuring an SSL rewrite in .htaccess while the CDN/Cloudflare SSL mode is set to "Flexible", creating an endless HTTP-to-HTTPS loop.
- Setting a WordPress Site Address (URL) in settings that conflicts with server-level Nginx rewrite blocks.
- Allowing page-level redirect plugins to compete with hosting-level edge redirects.
- Forgetting to clear browser cache and intermediate CDN cache after deploying redirect rule fixes.
No tool can promise how a search engine will crawl, index, or rank your pages. This tool generates and validates code against documented technical specifications; you determine where to deploy it, and you should always test changes on staging environments first. Google publishes extensive guidelines in Search Central on evaluating third-party SEO tools and advice. Learn more about our technical testing standards on our about us page, or explore full site audits on our pricing page.
Related free tools & workflows
Browse all Technical SEO Audit Tools →Technical SEO Audit Workflows
Indexability & Crawling
Redirects & HTTP Headers
Authoritative Technical Documentation & Standards
This tool executes logic aligned with official technical documentation and search engine webmaster standards:
- Google Search Central Redirects Documentation
Google Search Central: Redirects and Google Search
Primary engineering source and technical documentation.
- IETF RFC 9110 Redirection Specification
IETF RFC 9110: Redirection 3xx Status Codes
Primary engineering source and technical documentation.
Redirect Loop Detector questions
What causes the "ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS" error in Chrome? ↓
This error occurs when the browser detects that requested URLs keep redirecting to one another in an endless loop. The browser terminates the request to prevent freezing the user's network connection.
Can Cloudflare cause a redirect loop? ↓
Yes. If your origin web server enforces HTTPS redirects while your Cloudflare SSL/TLS encryption mode is set to "Flexible", Cloudflare connects to your origin via HTTP, causing your server to issue another redirect in an infinite loop.
How do redirect loops affect Google indexing? ↓
Google cannot crawl or render pages caught in redirect loops. The page will fail indexing and Google Search Console will report a "Redirect error" under page indexing reports.
Is this tool free? ↓
Yes. It is completely free to use and requires no registration or subscription.
Does this tool visit my website or store my files? ↓
No. It executes entirely in your local browser runtime. Your inputs and results are never stored or logged on our servers.
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