Fix WordPress Error Too Many Redirects After Installing SSL

A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Installing an SSL certificate should make your WordPress website safer, not take it offline. Yet one of the most frustrating problems beginners encounter immediately afterward is the Too Many Redirects error.

Instead of loading your website, the browser gets caught in a redirect loop. It keeps moving between different versions of the URL until it eventually gives up.

Fortunately, this problem is usually straightforward to fix once you understand what is happening. In most cases, WordPress, your hosting account, a caching plugin, Cloudflare, or another security tool is telling the website to use HTTPS while something else is sending it back to HTTP—or creating a conflicting HTTPS redirect.

This guide explains exactly how to fix WordPress error too many redirects after installing SSL, even if you cannot access the WordPress dashboard.

The Core Basics

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, although modern websites generally use its successor, TLS. An SSL certificate allows your website to operate securely using HTTPS instead of standard HTTP.

For example:

* `http://example.com`
* `https://example.com`

After installing SSL, you normally want visitors to automatically use the HTTPS version.

A redirect is simply an instruction that sends a visitor from one URL to another. An HTTP-to-HTTPS redirect is normal and desirable because it ensures visitors reach the secure version of your site.

The problem occurs when redirects conflict.

For example:

1. A visitor requests HTTP.
2. The server redirects to HTTPS.
3. WordPress redirects back to HTTP.
4. The server redirects to HTTPS again.
5. The cycle continues.

Your browser eventually reports ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS.

Common causes include incorrect WordPress URL settings, conflicting `.htaccess` rules, SSL configuration problems, caching plugins, Cloudflare settings, reverse-proxy configurations, and incorrect HTTPS detection.

The good news is that you usually don’t need to reinstall WordPress.

How to Fix WordPress Error Too Many Redirects After Installing SSL

Work through the following solutions in order. Start with the simplest fixes before changing server files.

1. Check Your WordPress URL Settings

One of the most common causes is that WordPress is configured to use HTTP while your hosting account is forcing HTTPS.

If you can access your WordPress dashboard, go to:

Settings → General

Look for:

* WordPress Address (URL)
* Site Address (URL)

Both should normally use HTTPS.

For example:

`https://www.example.com`

rather than:

`http://www.example.com`

Make sure both addresses match your intended domain structure.

Don’t accidentally use HTTPS for one and HTTP for the other.

2. Clear Your Browser Cache

Before making complicated changes, test whether the problem is actually cached.

Try opening the website in:

* An incognito/private browser window
* A different browser
* A different device

You can also clear your browser’s cached data and cookies for the affected website.

If the site works in an incognito window, the server configuration may already be correct and your browser could simply be remembering an old redirect.

3. Check Your SSL Configuration

Log into your hosting control panel and confirm that the SSL certificate is correctly installed for your domain.

Check whether SSL covers:

* Your main domain
* The `www` version, if you use it
* Any relevant subdomains

You should also verify that the certificate isn’t expired or incorrectly assigned.

If your host provides an automatic SSL installation or renewal system, make sure it reports the certificate as active.

4. Temporarily Disable Redirect Plugins

SSL and security plugins can sometimes create redirect conflicts.

Common examples include plugins that:

* Force HTTPS
* Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
* Manage SSL
* Add security redirects
* Control login redirects
* Integrate with Cloudflare

If you recently installed an SSL-related plugin immediately before the problem appeared, temporarily disable it and test the website.

If you cannot access `/wp-admin`, you can often disable plugins through your hosting file manager.

Navigate to:

`/wp-content/plugins/`

Find the suspected plugin’s folder and temporarily rename it.

For example:

`really-simple-ssl`

could temporarily become:

`really-simple-ssl-disabled`

WordPress should then deactivate the plugin.

5. Check Your `.htaccess` File

The `.htaccess` file can control redirects on Apache-based hosting.

A badly configured rule can create an endless loop.

Before changing anything, make a backup of the file.

A typical WordPress `.htaccess` file contains rules similar to:

“`apache
# BEGIN WordPress

RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ – [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]

# END WordPress

Be particularly suspicious of multiple HTTPS redirect rules added by different plugins or manually inserted code.

Don’t simply add another HTTPS redirect to try to solve the problem. If one already exists, adding another may make the configuration worse.

6. Check Cloudflare or Your CDN

If your website uses Cloudflare, its SSL/TLS configuration deserves special attention.

A common configuration problem occurs when Cloudflare is set to Flexible SSL while the origin server is also configured to force HTTPS.

The result can look like this:

Browser → HTTPS → Cloudflare → HTTP → Origin → HTTPS → Cloudflare

The cycle continues indefinitely.

If your hosting server has a valid SSL certificate, using an end-to-end HTTPS configuration such as Full or Full (strict) is generally preferable, provided your origin certificate is correctly configured.

Don’t change Cloudflare settings blindly. Confirm how your hosting server is configured first.

7. Check `wp-config.php`

If you cannot access the WordPress dashboard, you can sometimes correct the site URL through `wp-config.php`.

Before editing the file, create a backup.

You can define the WordPress URLs with:

“`php
define(‘WP_HOME’, ‘https://example.com’);
define(‘WP_SITEURL’, ‘https://example.com’);

Replace `example.com` with your actual domain.

However, don’t add these lines if they already exist elsewhere in the file.

Also check whether your website sits behind a proxy or CDN. WordPress may need to be told that the original visitor connection was HTTPS.

An incorrect proxy configuration can cause WordPress to believe every HTTPS request is actually HTTP, triggering repeated redirects.

8. Clear WordPress and Server Caches

Caching can make a correctly fixed website appear broken.

Clear:

* WordPress caching plugin data
* Hosting cache
* CDN cache
* Cloudflare cache, if applicable
* Browser cache

Then test the website again in a private browser window.

This is particularly important after changing HTTPS settings.

9. Check Your Preferred Domain Version

Decide whether your website should use:

`https://example.com`

or:

`https://www.example.com`

Both can work, but your configuration should consistently redirect to one preferred version.

For example:

Correct:

`http://example.com` → `https://example.com`

`http://www.example.com` → `https://example.com`

`https://www.example.com` → `https://example.com`

The exact rules depend on your preferred domain setup.

Problems arise when different systems disagree about whether `www` should be used.

Best Practices and Pro Tips

The easiest way to avoid SSL redirect problems is to keep your configuration simple.

Use one primary system to manage your HTTP-to-HTTPS redirect rather than having several plugins, server rules, and CDN settings all attempting to do the same thing.

Before installing an SSL-related plugin, check whether your hosting provider already automatically handles HTTPS redirection.

Keep WordPress, themes, plugins, and your hosting environment updated. Outdated security and caching plugins can introduce unexpected conflicts.

Always create a backup before modifying:

* `.htaccess`
* `wp-config.php`
* DNS records
* Server configuration

After fixing the problem, test several versions of your URL and confirm that they all reach the same secure destination.

Also check internal links, images, scripts, canonical URLs, and sitemap settings. You want the entire website—not just the homepage—to operate consistently over HTTPS.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Adding More Redirect Rules

If your site already has a redirect loop, adding another HTTPS rule usually isn’t the answer. Find the conflicting rule instead.

2. Changing Everything at Once

Change one setting at a time and test the website. Otherwise, you won’t know which change actually solved the problem.

3. Forgetting About Cloudflare

If Cloudflare is involved, changing WordPress or `.htaccess` alone may not fix the underlying conflict.

4. Editing Files Without a Backup

A single misplaced line in `.htaccess` or `wp-config.php` can cause additional problems. Always save a backup before editing.

Conclusion

The fix WordPress error too many redirects after installing SSL process usually comes down to finding a disagreement between WordPress, your web server, SSL configuration, caching system, or CDN.

Start with your WordPress URL settings, then check plugins, `.htaccess`, Cloudflare, `wp-config.php`, and caching. Work methodically rather than changing multiple settings simultaneously.

Once everything agrees that your website should use HTTPS, the redirect loop should disappear.

For more practical WordPress troubleshooting guides, solutions, and beginner-friendly technical advice, keep exploring WP Fix It Co.