I am installing a light switch from ceiling lights to wall switch. I hooked up the white wire to one terminal and the back wire to the other terminal. The light switch in in the on position. I turned the breaker back on the lights are on. When I switch from the on position to the off position the breaker trips. Why?

Where does the power come from? Only 2 wires in the switch box?

To be clear, you hooked the black wire and the white wire to the ceiling lights, and ONLY the black to the switch, right? The white wires should be securely twisted and nutted together inside the switch box, and the black wire broken across the switch

You have wired it wrong and are shorting the breaker. Answer my first post.

I should nut the white wire in the switch box and connect the black wire to one of the terminals on the switch. Is this correct?


Thanks

You should not do that. It sounds to me as if you are trying to create a switch loop that will control two lights.

Find the supply cable to the original light. The black conductor of the supply cable will connect to the white conductor of the switch. Place a piece of black tape on the white conductor to show that it is now a hot conductor! The Black conductor returning from the switch will connect to the black fixture wire on the light and to the black conductor that feeds the second light The white conductor from the light, the white conductor from the supply cable and the white conductor from the second light get connected together.

At the second light, the black from the light gets connected to the black feed from the first light. The white from the light gets connected to the white from the feed of the first light.

All ground conductors get connected together t each of their locations.

That should do it for you.