The page is not redirecting properly

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Revision as of 23:20, 6 August 2009 by Alice Wyman (talk | contribs) (Added note on Firefox 3.5 coolies options; "External links" section added with link to related SUMO article)
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Firefox will display an error dialog titled "The page isn't redirecting properly" when a webpage redirects you in an endless loop.

This article describes a few things that you can do to stop these errors.

Check for bad bookmarks

If the problem is occurring on only selected web sites, you may be using bookmarks made from web pages that saved parameter information that no longer produces a viable page.

To fix bookmarks,

Firefox on Windows:

Right click the bookmark and select "Properties"
In the "Location" field, remove information from the right until the bookmark pulls up a web page that resolves cleanly (often getting rid of the alphanumeric gibberish at the end does the job)
Click Save

Firefox on Mac OS:

Click "Bookmarks -> Organize Bookmarks"
Locate the problem bookmark (often in "Bookmarks Menu")
Click it to select it.
In the "Location" field, remove information from the right until the bookmark pulls up a web page that resolves cleanly (often getting rid of the alphanumeric gibberish at the end does the job)
Choose another bookmark or close the Organize Bookmarks window with the red button.

Turn cookies on

Firefox must be set to accept cookies from websites.

In Firefox:

  • Go to "Tools -> Options -> Privacy"
  • Make sure "Accept cookies from sites" is checked (see note below).
  • Make sure the site you're trying to access is not in the Exceptions list.

Note: In Firefox 3.5, if you do not see the "Accept cookies from sites" option in the Privacy panel, set the "Firefox will:" option to "Use custom settings for history".

Clear cookies

You may have data in your cookies that the site doesn't expect. To clear this data:

In Firefox 2.0 and higher:

Go to "Tools -> Options -> Privacy -> Show Cookies..."
In the Cookies window, click "Remove All Cookies"

In Firefox 3.5:

Go to "Tools -> Options -> Privacy"
Click the "Show Cookies..." button (see note below)
In the Cookies window, click "Remove all Cookies"

Note: In Firefox 3.5, if you do not see a "Show Cookies..." button, set the "Firefox will:" option to "Use custom settings for history". Alternately, click the "Remove Individual Cookies" link (if present) to open the Cookies window.

Enable referrer information

Check that network.http.sendRefererHeader is set to 2:

  1. Type about:config in the Location Bar
  2. Press Enter
  3. Find the preference name network.http.sendRefererHeader
  4. Double click on it. A dialog will appear.
  5. Enter 2 into the dialog.
  6. Press OK.

Bad website

The problem could simply be an error in the website's coding. Contact the webmaster for assistance.

External links