Why can't this tool check my redirect directly?
Browser CORS restrictions prevent a webpage's JavaScript from following a cross-domain redirect and reading its status codes.
Seo Tools
Check a Redirect (and Why This Needs a Server-Side Tool)
An explanation of why browser-side redirect checking is limited by CORS, with guidance on where to verify redirects properly.
Why this can't do a real redirect check
This page is upfront about a real limitation: browsers enforce CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) restrictions that prevent a webpage's JavaScript from following a redirect chain on another domain and reading back its status codes. Because of that, this tool doesn't actually fetch your URL or trace redirect hops — it echoes back the URL you entered along with a note recommending you verify the final status through your own server logs or Google Search Console.
This is a genuine technical constraint of running entirely in the browser, not a missing feature that could easily be added. A real redirect check needs to run server-side, outside the browser's cross-origin restrictions.
Workflow at a glance
Use this quick flow to understand where the tool fits in your work and what to review before relying on the output.
Review checklist
Before
Know that this page won't return a real redirect status — plan to use Search Console or server logs instead.
After
Confirm the final destination and status code through a server-side method before considering the redirect verified.
What this page is actually useful for
This page is useful mainly as a pointer in the right direction — a reminder of what a redirect check actually needs (server logs, Search Console, or a server-side tool) rather than a way to perform the check itself.
Who runs into this limitation
Developers during a migration
Get pointed toward server logs or Search Console rather than expecting a client-side redirect trace.
SEO reviewers checking old URLs
Understand why a browser tool can't do this job and where to actually verify redirects.
Site owners troubleshooting broken links
Learn the right place to check — server-side tools or Search Console's URL inspection.
Anyone new to redirect checking
Understand the CORS limitation before assuming a browser tool should be able to do this.
What you get here instead
Honest limitation notice
Explains the CORS restriction rather than pretending to perform a check it can't actually do.
Echoes your URL back
Displays the URL you entered alongside the explanation.
Points to real alternatives
Recommends checking via server logs or Google Search Console.
No false status codes
Doesn't fabricate a redirect result — it tells you plainly that this needs a different tool.
Using this page effectively
- 1Enter the URL you wanted to check.
- 2Click Process to see the explanation and the URL echoed back.
- 3Use your site's server logs, a server-side redirect-checking tool, or Google Search Console's URL inspection instead.
- 4Confirm the final destination and status code through one of those server-side methods.
Where redirect issues come up
Understanding why a browser-based tool can't trace a redirect chain across domains.
Getting pointed toward server logs or Search Console for an actual redirect check.
Learning the right place to verify redirects during a site migration.
Avoiding false confidence from a client-side tool that can't really do this job.
What happens to the URL you enter
The URL you type is only echoed back on this page — it isn't fetched, followed, or sent anywhere.
Checking redirects the right way
- Use Google Search Console's URL Inspection tool to see how Google actually sees a redirect.
- Check your server's access logs directly if you control the hosting — they show the real status codes.
- A command-line tool like curl (with -I and -L flags) can trace a redirect chain properly, outside browser restrictions.
- Don't assume a URL redirects correctly just because it looks fine when typed into a browser's address bar — always verify the final status code.
Redirect-checking mistakes to avoid
Expecting a browser tool to trace cross-domain redirects
CORS restrictions block this by design — it's not something a browser-side page can work around.
Trusting an address bar's final URL alone
The browser can silently follow redirects without showing you the intermediate status codes — use server logs or Search Console instead.
Skipping verification after a migration
Always confirm redirects with a server-side method, since broken or looping redirects can quietly hurt rankings.
Assuming this page's echo is a real check
It's a placeholder with an honest explanation, not a substitute for actually tracing the redirect.
Where to actually verify a redirect
Redirect Checker is honest about what it can't do from inside a browser tab. For a real redirect trace, use Google Search Console's URL Inspection tool, your server's access logs, or a command-line tool like curl.
Need hands-on help?
Get help with documents, SEO, content, or website fixes
Use this tool for quick work. If you need a real file prepared, a page reviewed, or a website issue fixed, send the URL and describe the problem.
FAQ
Redirect Checker FAQ
Answers for using Redirect Checker on I Love Tool XYZ.
Where should I actually check a redirect?
Google Search Console's URL Inspection tool, your server's access logs, or a command-line tool like curl.
Does this tool fetch my URL at all?
No. It only echoes the URL back alongside the explanation.
Is this a bug that might get fixed?
No, it's a fundamental browser security restriction (CORS), not a missing feature that can be added client-side.