Free Redirect Chain Checker

What this redirect chain checker checks

This free redirect chain checker traces every hop a URL takes from the address you enter to the final destination. It follows each 3xx redirect in turn and reports the full chain, flagging any chain longer than a single redirect and detecting redirect loops where a URL eventually points back to itself.

Redirects that end in a 4xx should be fixed at the source; the broken link checker helps you find where those dead links are referenced.

Why redirect chains hurt

Every redirect adds a round trip before the browser reaches the real page, so a chain of three or four redirects noticeably slows the first paint, especially on mobile networks. Each hop also leaks a little link equity, so long chains dilute the ranking signal that should reach the destination.

Redirect loops are worse: the browser bounces between URLs until it gives up with a "too many redirects" error, and the page becomes completely unreachable for users and crawlers alike.

How to fix redirect chains and loops

The goal is a single hop from any old URL straight to the final destination:

• Collapse chains: if A redirects to B and B redirects to C, update the A rule to point straight at C.
• Break loops: find the rule that sends the chain back on itself and remove or correct it. Loops usually come from conflicting rules in the CMS, a plugin, and the server config all fighting each other.
• Prefer 301 for permanent moves so the destination inherits the ranking signal; use 302 only for genuinely temporary redirects.

Honest limits

This tool follows up to 10 redirect hops from the single URL you enter, which covers virtually every real chain. It reports the status of each hop but does not rewrite your redirect rules for you. For a site-wide audit that catches redirect chains alongside broken links and returns a PDF report, run a full free audit.