How to fix meta refresh on WooCommerce

Steps for WooCommerce

1. In WordPress admin go to Appearance → Theme File Editor (or use a code editor via FTP/SSH).
2. Open your active theme's `header.php` (or `functions.php` if the tag is injected programmatically). Search for `http-equiv` or `meta.*refresh` and delete the line.
3. If the tag comes from a plugin, go to Plugins → Installed Plugins, deactivate plugins one at a time while re-checking the page source, until the responsible plugin is identified — then check that plugin's settings to disable the redirect/refresh feature.
4. For URL redirects, install the free 'Redirection' plugin (johngodley.com) and create a 301 redirect there instead of using a meta-refresh.
5. Save changes, clear any caching plugin (e.g. WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache), and re-scan.

What is meta refresh?

A `<meta http-equiv="refresh">` tag in the `<head>` of a page tells the browser to automatically reload the current page — or jump to a different URL — after a set number of seconds, without the visitor doing anything. For example, `<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="10">` reloads the page every 10 seconds. WCAG Success Criterion 2.2.1 (Timing Adjustable) requires that any time limit on content can be turned off, adjusted, or extended by the user — and an automatic meta-refresh gives visitors no such control.

Automatic page refreshes are disorienting and harmful for people with disabilities. Screen-reader users lose their place in the page; people with cognitive or motor disabilities may not finish reading or complete a form before the page reloads or redirects them. Failing WCAG 2.2.1 exposes your store to legal risk under accessibility laws such as the ADA (US), EAA (EU), and AODA (Canada). Search engines also flag unexpected client-side refreshes as a poor signal — a proper server-side redirect is faster and more reliable for SEO. Removing this tag improves user experience, reduces legal exposure, and can marginally improve crawl efficiency for your product pages.

See the complete Meta refresh guide for every platform and the full background.