Website migration
Confirm that old URLs reach the intended final pages without avoidable intermediate hops.
Links and URLs tool
Redirect Chain Checker
Enter one public URL to trace its server redirects and final response. Review each status and destination before changing a deliberate redirect. No login needed.
FreeNo loginNo data stored
HTTPS cleanup
See whether protocol and hostname redirects send visitors directly to the canonical destination.
Campaign links
Inspect a shared or tracked URL before relying on its destination.
What it checks
Use the result as evidence, not a score.
- Every followed redirect status and destination
- Relative Location headers resolved against the current URL
- Final response URL and status
- Per-hop and total observed response time
What it cannot check
- Redirect behavior for every location, cookie, user-agent, or device
- Whether a migration decision is correct without context
- Client-side redirects that require executing JavaScript
How it works
Input, inspect, improve, verify.
The tool processes what you enter, shows a plain-language result, and gives you a safer next step. Make the change on your website, deploy it, then test the live page again.
Understand the result
How to check for a 301 redirect
Paste the original address into Public page URL and select Trace redirects. Use the URL visitors actually start with, including its protocol and hostname. The checker follows a bounded server redirect path and shows each followed status, destination, and observed timing.
Look for HTTP 301 on a hop, then inspect where it leads. The final HTTP status belongs to the last response, so a final 200 does not mean the original URL had no redirect. A permanent redirect may instead use 308; preserve the intended routing behavior when reviewing it.
- Check one public HTTP or HTTPS URL at a time.
- Use View example to trace Overhyped’s apex homepage address.
- The trace is capped at four hops and revalidates each target. A stopped trace is not a confirmed successful destination.
Understand the result
Read the redirect path before choosing a fix
A direct redirect takes the original URL to its intended final page in one hop. A chain adds another redirect before that final response. Review the visible hop list instead of assuming that every redirected URL is broken.
For example, a route can move from HTTP to HTTPS, then to a preferred hostname, then to a replacement page. If those steps are unnecessary, review a direct route to the intended page while preserving working old URLs and important query parameters. This is an illustrative pattern, not a claim about the current example’s exact statuses.
- A loop or hop-limit stop needs investigation across the relevant routing layers.
- This is a single-URL trace, not a bulk redirect checker.
- JavaScript, meta refresh, cookies, location rules, and browser caches can produce a different journey.
Understand the result
A redirect chain contains more than one hop before the final response.
One deliberate redirect is common: an old URL can send visitors directly to its current replacement. A chain appears when that request is redirected again, for example from HTTP to HTTPS, then from a non-preferred hostname, then through an old page mapping.
Extra hops add requests, make routing harder to maintain, and can delay crawlers and visitors. They do not automatically create a ranking penalty, so prioritize chains that affect important pages, navigation, backlinks, or frequently used campaign URLs.
- Inspect every status and Location destination.
- Confirm that the final page still satisfies the original URL’s intent.
- Separate a long chain from a loop that never reaches a final page.
Understand the result
Permanent and temporary redirects communicate different decisions.
Use a permanent redirect such as 301 or 308 when the move should be consolidated over time. Use a temporary redirect such as 302 or 307 when the original URL is expected to return. The application, CDN, proxy, and CMS must agree so that one layer does not undo another.
Common chains come from stacked HTTP, hostname, trailing-slash, locale, CMS, and migration rules. Shorten the route by updating the first rule to point to the intended final URL while keeping every established public URL available.
- Update internal links to the final URL so visitors do not enter the chain.
- Preserve valuable legacy URLs and backlinks with a direct redirect.
- Retest representative URL patterns after changing shared routing rules.
Understand the result
Server redirects are only one way a browser can move.
The checker follows HTTP redirects returned by the server. It does not execute JavaScript redirects or reliably model meta refresh, cookies, location-based routing, browser cache, or logged-in behavior.
After repair, test the original URL, every hop, the final response, the canonical on the destination, and important internal links. Check a normal browser as well when its behavior differs from the server trace.
- Investigate loops across every routing layer.
- Keep query parameters only when the destination genuinely needs them.
- Record the before-and-after chain as completion evidence.
Popular use cases
Useful before and after publishing.
Website migration
Confirm that old URLs reach the intended final pages without avoidable intermediate hops.
HTTPS cleanup
See whether protocol and hostname redirects send visitors directly to the canonical destination.
Campaign links
Inspect a shared or tracked URL before relying on its destination.
Pro tips
Small checks that prevent avoidable mistakes.
- Point old URLs directly to their intended final destinations when it is safe.
- Keep permanent and temporary redirect intent explicit in the server configuration.
- Preserve important query parameters only when the destination genuinely needs them.
- Test representative legacy URLs after every migration or routing change.
Common issues and solutions
What to review when the result looks wrong.
The chain is longer than expected
Inspect protocol, www, trailing-slash, locale, and legacy migration rules for overlapping steps.
The tool reports too many redirects
Look for a loop between conflicting application, proxy, CDN, and CMS rules.
The result differs by browser
Cookies, cached redirects, JavaScript, or location-based routing may produce another path.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers before you make a change.
Why does the result end with 200 when I am checking a 301 redirect?
The trace shows redirects before the final response. A hop can return 301 and its destination can return 200. Inspect both the hop list and final URL.
Can I check redirects in bulk?
This tool traces one public URL at a time. It does not upload a list, scan your entire website, or check every migration rule.
What does a stopped redirect trace mean?
The request could not reach a verified final destination within the tool’s limits. Review the stop reason and redirect rules; do not treat it as a successful completed chain.
Is one redirect acceptable?
Yes. One deliberate redirect to the final destination is common and can be the correct behavior.
Does a redirect pass page authority?
Search systems use redirect and canonical signals together, but this tool does not measure authority or guarantee consolidation.
Does the tool execute JavaScript redirects?
No. It traces server HTTP redirects only.
Read the practical guide
How to find and fix redirect chains
Understand the evidence behind this tool, where its result stops, and the safer next steps to verify on a live page.
Read the guideEvidence · Limitations · Verification