More fixes

"This page isn't working: redirected you too many times"

Chrome calls it ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS; Firefox says "The page isn't redirecting properly". Either way the site keeps sending the browser to an address that sends it straight back, so the page never loads. Nothing is lost: it is a settings loop, not a crash. Most loops come from two settings that disagree about http or https, or www or no www. Below is a rebuilt example (not a real client), then how to find your loop and the safe order of steps.

First: is it the site, or just your browser?

• Open the site in a private window, or on your phone with Wi-Fi off. If it loads there, an old cookie in your normal browser is the problem: clear the cookies for that one site and you are done.
• If it fails everywhere, follow the redirects. A free "redirect checker" website, or curl -sIL https://yourbusiness.com in a terminal, lists every hop. A loop shows the same two addresses repeating, and the two addresses tell you which settings disagree: http versus https, or www. versus no www.
• Think back a day. A new SSL certificate, switching on Cloudflare, an "SSL" or "redirect" plugin, a move to a new host or a change of domain are the usual triggers.

The safe order of steps

1. Back up the files (host's file manager or SFTP) before changing anything, and keep a copy of any file you edit.
2. Check the two WordPress addresses. In Settings > General, "WordPress Address" and "Site Address" must both start the same way your site really answers, for example both https://www.yourbusiness.com. If you cannot reach the dashboard, add define('WP_HOME','https://www.yourbusiness.com'); and define('WP_SITEURL','https://www.yourbusiness.com'); to wp-config.php with your real address.
3. If the site uses Cloudflare, open SSL/TLS in the Cloudflare dashboard. "Flexible" means Cloudflare talks to your server over plain http; if the server or a plugin then forces https, every request bounces back. Set it to Full (strict) once the server has its own certificate (most hosts give one free), or turn the server-side https redirect off while you sort it.
4. Switch off redirect and SSL plugins by renaming their folders in wp-content/plugins (for example add -off to the name). If the site loads, put them back one at a time to find the one that loops.
5. Check .htaccess (Apache hosts) for two rules that fight, such as one forcing www and another removing it. Rename the file, then save Settings > Permalinks once to write a clean one, and re-add only the redirect you actually want.
6. Behind a proxy or load balancer? WordPress may not see that the visitor used https. Hosts document a line for wp-config.php that reads the X-Forwarded-Proto header; use the one your host gives.
7. Then clear every cache (caching plugin, host cache, Cloudflare "Purge everything") and test the home page, an inner page, the contact form and the dashboard login in a private window.

Common causes and what each one needs

What not to do

• Do not stack more redirect plugins to "force" the right address. Each extra rule is another chance to loop.
• Do not edit the addresses directly in the database unless you have a backup; a typo there takes the whole site down.
• Do not switch https off for good. Browsers now mark plain-http sites "Not secure", and the loop can be fixed with https left on.
• Do not judge the fix in your normal browser window: it remembers old redirects. Test in a private window.

If you can open the WordPress settings, the Cloudflare dashboard and a file manager, the steps above are usually enough. If the site earns you money every hour it is down, that is what the box below is for.