How to Fix www / non-www Redirect Issues in WordPress (2026)

Step-by-step

How to fix: www / non-www inconsistency

WordPress

1. 1

   Step 1: Set the canonical URL in WordPress Settings

   Go to WordPress Dashboard → Settings → General. Set both "WordPress Address (URL)" and "Site Address (URL)" to your preferred domain — either with www (https://www.example.com) or without (https://example.com). Use exactly the same value in both fields. Save. This controls what WordPress uses in its own links and canonical tags.

2. 2

   Step 2: Add a redirect in .htaccess (Apache)

   If your server runs Apache (most shared hosting), open your .htaccess file (root of your WordPress install). Add the redirect block ABOVE the WordPress rewrite rules. Choose the version that matches your WordPress Settings from Step 1.

   .htaccess

   # Redirect www → non-www
   RewriteEngine On
   RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.(.+)$ [NC]
   RewriteRule ^ https://%1%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]
   
   # --- OR — Redirect non-www → www
   RewriteEngine On
   RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www\. [NC]
   RewriteRule ^ https://www.%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]

3. 3

   Step 2 (alternative): Redirect in Nginx

   If your server runs Nginx, add a server block for the non-preferred domain that redirects to the canonical one:

   nginx.conf

   # Redirect www → non-www
   server {
     listen 443 ssl;
     server_name www.example.com;
     return 301 https://example.com$request_uri;
   }

4. 4

   Step 3: Confirm the redirect

   Use a redirect checker or curl to confirm the non-preferred domain returns HTTP 301 pointing to the canonical version. Then update your Google Search Console property if needed — GSC treats www and non-www as separate properties.

FAQ

Common questions about www / non-www inconsistency

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