---
title: "301 Moved Permanently — what it means and how to fix it"
description: "The URL has permanently moved and clients should use the new one from now on. What causes an HTTP 301, what to try as a visitor, and what to check if it is your own site."
url: https://atoneplace.net/error/301/
site: "At One Place"
---

# HTTP 301 — Moved Permanently

**HTTP 301: Moved Permanently**

The URL has permanently moved and clients should use the new one from now on.

## What 301 actually means

The server is saying: this address is dead, here is the replacement, and it is not coming back. Browsers follow it automatically and cache it aggressively — often until the browser profile is cleared — and search engines transfer ranking signals to the target. That permanence is the trap: a 301 pointed at the wrong place is very hard to undo, because visitors who already saw it stop asking your server at all.

## Common causes

- A site moved to a new domain
- A forced redirect from HTTP to HTTPS, or between www and apex domains
- URL structure changed and old paths were mapped to new ones
- A trailing-slash or lowercase canonicalisation rule

## If you're just trying to view the page

1. Nothing — your browser follows this automatically and lands on the right page
2. If you are stuck on an old cached redirect, clear the browser cache or try a private window

## If it's your site

1. Only use 301 when you are certain; 302 is the reversible choice
2. Redirect to the equivalent page, not to the home page — bulk redirects to `/` are treated as soft 404s and lose the ranking you were trying to preserve
3. Avoid redirect chains; point old URLs straight at the final destination
4. Update internal links and sitemaps to the new URLs rather than relying on the redirect forever

## Reference

- **Status code:** 301
- **Reason phrase:** Moved Permanently
- **Category:** 3xx — Redirection
- **Cacheable by default:** Yes
- **Defined in:** RFC 9110 §15.4.2

## Common questions

### What does HTTP 301 mean?

The URL has permanently moved and clients should use the new one from now on. The server is saying: this address is dead, here is the replacement, and it is not coming back. Browsers follow it automatically and cache it aggressively — often until the browser profile is cleared — and search engines transfer ranking signals to the target.

### How do I fix a 301 error?

Nothing — your browser follows this automatically and lands on the right page

### Is 301 a client error or a server error?

301 is in the 3xx range, which means redirection. It is not an error at all.

## Related pages

- [302 Found](https://atoneplace.net/error/302/)
- [304 Not Modified](https://atoneplace.net/error/304/)
- [307 Temporary Redirect](https://atoneplace.net/error/307/)
- [308 Permanent Redirect](https://atoneplace.net/error/308/)
- [303 See Other](https://atoneplace.net/error/303/)
- [300 Multiple Choices](https://atoneplace.net/error/300/)
- [305 Use Proxy](https://atoneplace.net/error/305/)
- [306 (Unused)](https://atoneplace.net/error/306/)

## Sources

- Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Status Code Registry — IANA (https://www.iana.org/assignments/http-status-codes/)
- RFC 9110: HTTP Semantics — IETF (https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9110.html)