Redirect Chain and Loop Finder
Paste pairs of old and new addresses. The finder follows every redirect, flags chains and loops, and gives you a list that sends each old address straight to its final page.
Worked examples
A chain and a loop
/a, /b /b, /c /x, /y /y, /x
/a is a chain (2 steps) ending at /c. /x and /y are a loop. Cleaned list: /a,/c and /b,/c
The loop cannot be cleaned automatically, so it is left out of the list.
About Redirect Chain and Loop Finder
Redirects get tangled over time. A site is redesigned, then redesigned again, and an address that once went straight to its new home now passes through two or three stops on the way. A chain slows the page down and can lose strength with each hop. A loop, where A sends visitors to B and B sends them back to A, stops the page loading at all. A map built in a spreadsheet by several people often contains both.
Paste your pairs of old and new addresses, separated by a comma, tab, space or an arrow. The finder follows every redirect to its end and labels it fine, a chain, a loop, a redirect to itself or a clash where one old address is given two different destinations. It then writes a cleaned list in which each chain points straight at its final address, ready to copy back into your redirect rules. You can set it to ignore trailing slashes or letter case, and give your domain so full and short addresses match.
How to use Redirect Chain and Loop Finder
- Paste your redirect map, one old and new pair per line.
- Set how to treat trailing slashes and letter case, and enter your domain if the map mixes full addresses and paths.
- Check the summary and the table of problems, loops first.
- Copy the cleaned list and use it for your new rules.
Common uses
- Checking a migration map before launch
- Cleaning up redirects that built up over several redesigns
- Merging maps from different people without creating loops
- Finding addresses that were mapped twice to different places
Frequently asked questions
Why are redirect chains bad?
Each extra step adds a delay for the visitor and one more request for search engines to follow. Very long chains may not be followed at all. A direct redirect is quicker and more reliable.
What is a redirect loop?
A loop is a set of redirects that lead back to where they began, such as A to B and B to A. The browser gives up and shows an error, so the page cannot be reached.
What is a clash?
A clash is when the same old address is listed twice with different new addresses. Only one can win, and usually the first rule is used. Decide which is correct and remove the other.
How do I enter the pairs?
Write the old address first and the new one second, separated by a comma, a tab, a space, or an arrow made of a dash and a greater-than sign. A header row is skipped.
Does it test live redirects?
No. It checks the map you paste for logical problems. It does not visit any website.