What you are seeing
This fix breaks the loop by mapping the whole redirect chain and removing the rule that sends visitors in a circle. You will trace the chain hop by hop, find the repeating pair, and correct the configuration. Test the destination on its own before you touch the code, because a loop fix heals every code that points at that address.
Likely causes
1.
Two rules that point at each other — Quick test: follow the chain and look for an address that repeats.
2.
HTTP to HTTPS rule fighting a www rule — Quick test: follow the chain and check whether the scheme and host keep changing.
3.
Trailing-slash rule looping — Quick test: watch for the same path alternating with and without a trailing slash.
4.
Shortener or campaign tool loop — Quick test: follow the chain from the encoded URL and note where it enters the loop.
5.
Login redirect looping — Quick test: open the destination in a private window while signed out.
Step-by-step fix
Step 1: Decode the payload and write down the encoded URL.
Step 2: Follow the redirect chain and write down every hop until an address repeats. That repeat is the loop.
Step 3: Identify the two rules that produce the repeating pair, and decide which one is wrong.
Step 4: Correct or remove the wrong rule, so the chain ends at the final page instead of circling.
Step 5: If a shortener or campaign tool is part of the loop, fix its target so it points at the final page.
Step 6: Test the destination URL on its own in a browser and confirm it loads without a loop error.
Step 7: Retest the QR journey on two phones and confirm the final page loads.
Putting this into practice
In practice, keep redirect chains short. Every extra hop is another chance for a loop and another delay for the visitor. Point the code at the final address where you can, and keep at most one clean redirect where you cannot. Record the before-and-after behaviour with the job file, so the fix is provable rather than anecdotal. When the same failure appears again, that record tells you whether the old fix held or a new cause appeared.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Adding another redirect on top of a loop instead of finding and removing the rule that causes it.
- Reprinting the full run before a single proof passes, which turns one failure into many.
- Testing on one phone in ideal conditions instead of two phones in the real conditions where a code that redirects too many times will be used.
- Changing the artwork and the placement at the same time, so you cannot tell which change fixed a code that redirects too many times.- Skipping the proof test because the change looked small, when small changes cause most repeat failures.
Quick checklist
- The redirect chain ends at the final page with no repeated address
- The destination loads on its own without a loop error
- The QR journey reaches the final page on two phones
- The corrected proof passes on two phones in the real conditions
- The fix is recorded in the job file so the next reprint starts from a proven setup
- Every printed copy is checked against the approved proof
- The proof is retested after any later change to the link, design, or placement
Related tools and guides
- [QR redirect chain viewer](/qr-redirect-chain-viewer)
- [QR expiry checker](/qr-expiry-checker)
- [QR batch validator](/qr-batch-validator)
- [QR typosquat checker](/qr-typosquat-checker)
- [QR safety checker](/qr-safety-checker)
- [UTM builder](/utm-builder)
- [blog](/blog)
