Redirect Management Feature Webflow Supported Platform Limitation
Built-in redirect management system ✓
Paid plan requirement ✓
Bulk CSV import for large migrations ✓
Safe bulk import (preserves existing) ✓
Wildcard redirects ✓
Domain alias redirects ✓
Redirect chain detection ✓
External domain redirects ✓
Multiple redirect hop prevention ✓
Total number of redirects ✓
Immediate activation (no publish required) ✓
Detailed error reporting ✓

Where Do I Find Redirects in Webflow?

Finding the redirect settings in Webflow is a common challenge. The redirect management panel is not accessible from the Designer or Editor interfaces, which causes confusion for many users.

To access your redirect settings:

  1. Go to your Webflow Dashboard (not the Designer)
  2. Select your site
  3. Click Site Settings (gear icon)
  4. Click the Publishing tab in the left sidebar
  5. Scroll down to find the 301 Redirects section

Webflow 301 Redirects panel location in Site Settings under Publishing tab

The redirect panel shows two columns: Old path and New path. From here you can:

  • Add individual redirects manually
  • Import redirects from a CSV file
  • Export your existing redirects
  • Delete all redirects
⚠️ Redirects Require a Paid Plan
If you see a message saying "301 redirects are not supported on unhosted sites," you need to upgrade to a paid site plan. Redirect functionality is not available on free Webflow plans.

Does Webflow Have a Built-In Redirect Management System?

Webflow Supported

Yes, Webflow provides a built-in redirect management system accessible through Site Settings → Publishing → 301 Redirects. However, this feature requires a paid hosting plan - redirect functionality is not available on free plans.

Individual Redirect Creation

Best for:

  • Single redirect creation
  • Testing redirect behavior
  • Quick fixes and updates
  • Small sites with minimal redirect needs

Bulk CSV Import

Best for:

  • Large-scale migrations (hundreds or thousands of redirects)
  • Multi-URL updates
  • Systematic redirect planning
  • Importing from other platforms

URL Path Requirements

“Old Path” Field:

  • Relative paths only (no domain name)
  • Must start with forward slash /
  • Example: /old-page

“Redirect to” Field:

  • Relative OR absolute paths accepted
  • Examples: /new-page or https://www.external.com/page

Where to Find Redirect Settings

  1. From your Webflow dashboard, go to Site Settings
  2. Click Publishing tab
  3. Scroll to 301 Redirects section
⚠️ Critical: Paid Plan Requirement
Unlike some platforms that offer basic redirect functionality on free plans, Webflow requires a paid hosting plan to access any redirect features. You cannot create a single redirect without a paid plan, so factor this into your migration budget.
Bookmark the direct URL to your redirect settings once you find them. The placement isn't intuitive and there's no direct navigation from the Designer or Editor interfaces.

Does Webflow’s Bulk Import Preserve Existing Redirects?

Critical Limitation

No. New imports overwrite all existing redirects. When you upload a CSV file of 301 redirects, it removes any existing redirects on your site. This is the most critical limitation to understand before using the bulk import feature.

The Data Destruction Risk

Unlike platforms that append new redirects to existing ones, Webflow’s bulk import performs a complete replacement operation:

What happens during bulk import:

  1. Webflow deletes ALL existing redirects
  2. Webflow imports only the redirects in your CSV file
  3. Any redirects not in the CSV file are permanently lost
  4. There is no undo option

Safe Bulk Import Process

Required steps to preserve existing redirects:

  1. Export existing redirects - Go to Site Settings > Publishing > 301 Redirects and click Export. You will receive a notification in Webflow and an email with a link to download your CSV file.
  2. Merge redirect lists - Add your new redirects to the exported CSV file
  3. Validate the complete list - Check for duplicates and format errors
  4. Import the combined file - Go to Site Settings > Publishing > 301 Redirects, click Import, and drag in your CSV file or browse for it
  5. Publish your site - Redirects only take effect after publishing

CSV File Format Requirements

Webflow requires a specific CSV format:

Requirement Details
Columns Exactly 2 columns required
Headers Any values accepted (Webflow ignores header row)
Column 1 Old paths in relative format (must start with /)
Column 2 Redirect destinations (relative or absolute URLs)
Encoding UTF-8 recommended
Max File Size 16MB

Example CSV format:

Old Path,Redirect To
/old-page,/new-page
/legacy-product,https://store.example.com/product
/blog/old-post,/blog/new-post
/about-us,/about

How to Delete All Redirects

You can delete all existing redirects by going to Site Settings > Publishing > 301 Redirects and clicking Delete All. In the confirmation modal, you can export your redirects as a backup before deleting them. Only site managers can delete all 301 redirects. You must publish your site for the deletion to take effect.

⚠️ Warning: No Recovery Option
If you import without including existing redirects, they are permanently deleted with no way to recover them. Always export your current redirects before importing new ones.
Always maintain a master redirect CSV file outside of Webflow. Update this file whenever you add redirects, so you always have a complete backup of your redirect configuration.

Does Webflow Support Wildcard Redirects?

Webflow Supported

Yes, Webflow supports wildcard redirects using capture groups. This allows you to redirect multiple URLs matching a pattern with a single redirect rule, which is useful for large-scale URL structure changes.

How Wildcard Redirects Work in Webflow

Webflow uses capture groups written as (.*) to match variable portions of URLs. You reference these captured values in the destination path using %1, %2, and so on.

Basic wildcard example:

Field Value
Old Path /collections/(.*)
Redirect To /collections

This redirects all URLs like /collections/women, /collections/men, and /collections/children to a single /collections page.

Preserving the URL slug:

Field Value
Old Path /blog/(.*)
Redirect To /articles/%1

This redirects:

  • /blog/my-post to /articles/my-post
  • /blog/summer-2024 to /articles/summer-2024
  • /blog/how-to-guide to /articles/how-to-guide

Multiple Capture Groups

You can use multiple capture groups to restructure complex URLs. Each (.*) becomes a numbered variable you can reference in the destination.

Example with two capture groups:

Field Value
Old Path /%?category%=(.*)%&post%=(.*)
Redirect To /blog/%1/%2

This redirects:

  • /?category=music&post=beyonce to /blog/music/beyonce
  • /?category=travel&post=london to /blog/travel/london
  • /?category=food&post=pie to /blog/food/pie

Escape Characters in Old Path

Webflow requires you to escape special characters in the Old Path field by placing a % symbol before them. This applies to these characters:

Character Escaped Version
% %%
- %-
& %&
* %*
( %(
) %)
= %=
_ %_
+ %+
? %?

Example with query string:

To redirect mysite.com?category=food to mysite.com/blog/food:

Field Value
Old Path %?category%=food
Redirect To /blog/food
⚠️ Escape Characters Only in Old Path
You only need to escape special characters in the Old Path field. The Redirect To field does not require escape characters.

Is It Safe to Use Wildcard Redirects in Webflow?

Yes, wildcard redirects in Webflow are safe to use when configured correctly. However, there are some considerations:

Best practices for wildcard redirects:

  1. Test with a few URLs first before relying on the pattern for your entire site
  2. Be specific with your patterns to avoid accidentally redirecting URLs you want to keep
  3. Order matters if you have overlapping patterns, as Webflow processes redirects in order
  4. Escape all special characters in the Old Path or the redirect will not work as expected

Common mistakes to avoid:

Mistake Problem Solution
Using * instead of (.*) Webflow treats * as a literal character Use (.*) for capture groups
Forgetting to escape ? in query strings Redirect will not match Write %? instead of ?
Not escaping = in parameters Redirect will fail Write %= instead of =
Using $1 instead of %1 Wrong syntax for Webflow Use %1, %2, etc.
When migrating a large site, create a test redirect with your wildcard pattern first and verify it works with several example URLs before publishing. This prevents broken redirects across your entire site structure.

Does Webflow Handle Custom Domain Redirects Properly?

Platform Limitation

Webflow supports custom domains and automatic redirects between them, but the implementation can create up to 3 redirect hops - violating SEO best practices and impacting site performance.

The Multiple Redirect Hop Problem

When using custom domains with Webflow, a single URL request can trigger multiple redirects:

Example redirect chain:

User Request: example.com/old-page
  ↓ (301 Redirect #1)
www.example.com/old-page
  ↓ (301 Redirect #2)
newsite.webflow.io/old-page
  ↓ (301 Redirect #3)
www.newsite.webflow.io/old-page (Final destination - 200 OK)

Performance & SEO Impact

Impact Category Effect Consequence
Page Load Speed +100-300ms per hop Slower user experience
Search Engine Crawling May not follow all hops Reduced indexing efficiency
Best Practice Violation Exceeds 2-hop recommendation Potential SEO ranking impact
User Experience Increased loading time Higher bounce rates possible

Why This Happens

Webflow’s architecture processes redirects at multiple levels:

  1. Custom domain level - Non-www to www (or vice versa)
  2. Webflow domain level - Custom domain to default Webflow domain
  3. Path redirect level - Your configured URL redirects

Each level can add a redirect hop, creating chains.

Mitigation Strategies

Recommended solutions:

  • Configure DNS properly - Handle www/non-www redirects at the DNS level when possible
  • Monitor redirect chains - Use tools like Screaming Frog to audit redirect behavior
  • Test performance - Measure actual impact on your specific domain setup
  • Minimize intermediate hops - Keep redirect paths as direct as possible
⚠️ SEO Best Practice
Google and other search engines recommend keeping redirect chains to a maximum of 2 hops. Webflow's 3-hop chains may impact crawl efficiency and page ranking, especially for sites with many redirected URLs.
Use a redirect testing tool to audit your actual redirect chains after setting up custom domains. Document the hop count for important URLs and monitor if Google Search Console reports crawl issues.

Do Redirects Activate Immediately in Webflow?

Platform Limitation

No, redirects in Webflow do not activate immediately when you add or import them. You must manually republish your site for redirect changes to take effect.

Required Activation Process

Step Action Status Notes
1 Add or import redirects Staged Redirects exist but are inactive
2 Review redirect list Ready Confirm all redirects are present
3 Click “Publish” Critical Makes redirects live
4 Wait for propagation Active Usually instant, up to 5 minutes

Common Activation Issues

“Redirects not working after import”

  • Cause: Site wasn’t republished after adding redirects
  • Solution: Click the “Publish” button in Webflow Designer

“Some redirects are missing”

  • Cause: Bulk import overwrote existing redirects
  • Solution: Re-import complete redirect list including old and new redirects

“Redirects work intermittently”

  • Cause: Propagation delay or browser caching
  • Solution: Wait 5 minutes, test in incognito mode

“404 errors persist”

  • Cause: Path formatting doesn’t match exactly
  • Solution: Verify old path format matches incoming URLs exactly
⚠️ Critical: Manual Publishing Required
This is a common source of confusion during migrations. Adding redirects to Webflow's interface doesn't make them live. You must explicitly publish the site for redirect changes to activate.
Test redirects in an incognito browser window after publishing to avoid caching issues. Use a redirect checker tool to verify each redirect returns a proper 301 status code.

How Does Webflow Handle Import Errors?

Limited Error Reporting

If your CSV file includes any invalid redirects, the import will fail. Webflow will send you an email with a link to download your original CSV file with guidance to correct the invalid redirect errors. You will also receive a notification in the Dashboard with a link to download your CSV file.

Common Import Errors

Error Type Cause Solution
Redirect Chains A to B to C pattern detected Create direct redirects (A to C)
Invalid Paths Missing / or wrong format Fix path formatting
Duplicate Entries Same old path appears twice Remove duplicates
Special Characters Unescaped characters in Old Path Escape with % symbol

Error Resolution Process

  1. Check your email - Webflow sends an email with a link to download your CSV file with error guidance
  2. Check Dashboard notifications - You can also download the error file from there
  3. Identify patterns - Look for common issues across multiple rows
  4. Fix source data - Correct errors in your original CSV file
  5. Re-import - Upload corrected file and verify success

Error Message Limitations

  • Minimal details - Often just row numbers with basic error types
  • No suggested fixes - You must determine solutions independently
  • Batch failures - Single error can fail entire import
  • Time-consuming - Manual debugging required for each error
⚠️ Debugging Challenge
Webflow's error reporting is less detailed than other platforms. Plan extra time for troubleshooting import issues, especially for large redirect lists.
Import redirects in batches of 100-500 entries. Smaller batches make it much easier to identify and fix errors versus debugging a massive import with thousands of entries.

What Are Webflow’s Redirect Limits?

Platform Limitation

Webflow doesn’t publicly document a hard limit on redirect count, but performance can degrade with thousands of redirects. The bulk import system may also timeout with very large files.

Practical Limits Observed

Based on testing and user reports:

  • Under 1,000 redirects - Generally works well
  • 1,000-5,000 redirects - May experience slower import times
  • Over 5,000 redirects - Risk of timeouts and performance issues

For large redirect lists:

  1. Batch imports - Upload in groups of 500-1,000 redirects
  2. Monitor performance - Test site speed after each batch
  3. Prioritize critical URLs - Import high-value pages first
  4. Consider alternatives - For very large sites, evaluate dedicated redirect services
For migrations requiring more than 5,000 redirects, consider using a dedicated redirect management service or CDN-level redirects instead of relying solely on Webflow's built-in system.