Redirect Chain Checker
Follow URL redirects step by step and see every hop with status code and timing.
Written by Anil Gautam · Updated
How do I read a redirect chain?
Each numbered card is one request. It shows the status code and its text, the time that request took in milliseconds, the URL requested and, for a redirect, an arrow line with the Location header exactly as the server sent it. That target can be a relative path such as /new-page, and the next card shows the full URL it resolved to. Codes are coloured by class: 2xx green, 3xx blue, 4xx amber and 5xx red. A card marked ERROR means no response came back, for example when the domain name does not resolve.
The hop count at the top counts every request, including the final page. A chain from http://example.com/old to https://example.com/old to https://www.example.com/new, ending in a 200, shows 3 hops but contains two redirects. The final URL line appears only when the chain ends on a response that is not a redirect.
Why can the result differ from what my browser shows?
The URL you enter is sent to the OneClickUse server, and that server makes the requests. It carries none of your cookies or logins, so a page that sends signed-out visitors to a login screen shows that redirect here even if your browser goes straight through. Sites that redirect by country or device may also answer differently, and the millisecond timings measure the server's connection to the site; your own connection plays no part.
Your browser can add redirects of its own, too. Once a site has sent an HSTS header, the browser upgrades http to https internally, and its developer tools may list a 307 that this server-side check never sees. Test the exact address you care about, including http:// or https:// and any www, because each variant can redirect differently. The trace stops after 10 requests; if it reaches that limit without a final page, no final URL is shown, and URLs repeating on the cards point to a loop.
How do I shorten a redirect chain?
Point every old address straight at the final URL. For the three-hop chain, change the rule for http://example.com/old so it sends visitors directly to https://www.example.com/new with one 301, then run the old URL again and confirm the chain is down to 2 hops. Update internal links and your sitemap to the final URL as well, so most visitors and crawlers never meet a redirect. The HTTP Headers Checker shows every header of a single response when you need to see what else a redirecting server sends.