To create a Cloudflare Page Rule, open your domain’s dashboard, go to Rules > Page Rules, choose Create Page Rule, enter a URL pattern, select the setting or action, set its priority, then choose Save and Deploy Page Rule. The matching hostname must have a DNS record proxied through Cloudflare. Page Rules are useful for a few URL-based redirects or cache exceptions, but Cloudflare’s newer Redirects and Cache Rules products may suit new configurations better.
Before you create a Page Rule
- Confirm the hostname is proxied. The DNS record for the hostname in the rule must be proxied through Cloudflare; a hostname missing from DNS or not routed through Cloudflare will not match in practice. Cloudflare’s Page Rules overview explains the requirement. If a hostname has no real origin, Cloudflare says a proxied placeholder record may still be needed; use a reserved IP address or domain, not infrastructure you do not control. See Manage Page Rules.
- Plan the URL pattern. Patterns generally follow
<SCHEME>://<HOSTNAME>:<PORT>/<PATH>?<QUERY_STRING>. Scheme and port are optional; when omitted, the pattern can match both HTTP and HTTPS and all ports. Pattern details are in Cloudflare’s Page Rules settings reference. - Check the zone’s allowance. Cloudflare’s overview, last updated August 14, 2026, lists these default Page Rule quotas:
| Cloudflare plan | Default Page Rule quota |
|---|---|
| Free | 3 |
| Pro | 20 |
| Business | 50 |
| Enterprise | 125 |
Disabled rules still count toward the zone’s quota. Plan features and quotas can vary; consult the current Cloudflare Page Rules documentation for your account.
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How to set up a Page Rule
- In the Cloudflare dashboard, select the domain you want to configure.
- Open Rules > Page Rules, then select Create Page Rule.
- Enter the URL or wildcard pattern to match. Make sure it covers only the host and paths that should receive the action.
- Choose a setting, and add other settings if needed. A redirect action cannot be combined with setting overrides in the same action set, according to Cloudflare’s Page Rules API documentation.
- Set the rule’s order. Only the highest-priority matching Page Rule acts on a request, so put narrower patterns above broader ones.
- Choose Save and Deploy Page Rule to activate it, or Save as Draft if you are not ready to deploy.
Cloudflare also supports creating and managing Page Rules through its API; see the Page Rules API reference.
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Redirect www to the root domain
For a permanent move from www.example.com to example.com, Cloudflare documents a 301 redirect using the pattern *www.example.com/* and target https://example.com/$2. Substitute your own canonical hostname, then verify the wildcard captures and resulting destination before deployment. Choose a permanent status only if the change is intended to last. Cloudflare’s example is in Page Rules examples.
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Make a temporary short link
Cloudflare shows a pattern such as /fb* redirecting to a longer destination with a 302 status. A temporary redirect is appropriate if the source may return or the destination may change; use a permanent status only for a lasting move. See the official Page Rules examples.
Bypass cache on an account or admin path
A documented example matches example.com/user* and sets Cache Level: Bypass. This can be appropriate for personalized or frequently changing content that should be fetched from the origin. Adapt the pattern to your application’s actual private and dynamic routes rather than assuming that every URL beneath a broad path is private. The setting is described in Cloudflare’s settings reference.
Cache a stable asset directory
For a directory containing mostly images and multimedia assets, Cloudflare’s example combines Browser Cache TTL: one day, Cache Level: Cache Everything, and Edge Cache TTL: seven days. These are example values, not universal defaults. Apply them only when the matched content is safe to cache and the origin and application behavior support it. Cloudflare defines Cache Everything as treating all content types as cacheable beyond its default static-file behavior. Its settings reference also warns that Cache Everything combined with an Edge Cache TTL greater than zero removes cookies from the origin response. Review the full behavior and your application’s cache headers before using it on dynamic pages.
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Because only the highest-priority matching Page Rule takes effect, a broad rule can prevent a more specific rule from applying. For example, if a rule matches /images/*, place a rule for /images/special/* above it when the special directory needs different behavior. Keep patterns as narrow as the task allows and check for overlaps whenever you add or reorder rules.
When to use newer Cloudflare Rules products
Cloudflare describes Page Rules as one way to trigger actions from URL patterns, but recommends considering newer products where they offer a better fit. Its current documentation says these products are available on all plans, with quotas and features depending on plan:
- Single Redirects: zone-level static or dynamic redirects.
- Bulk Redirects: larger account-level collections of mostly static redirects.
- Snippets: more flexible behavior implemented with JavaScript.
- Cache Rules: cache customization.
See Cloudflare’s guides to URL forwarding and redirects and Cache Rules. Existing Page Rules do not all have to be migrated; check whether each one still provides the behavior you need before adding more.
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