TL;DR: If ChatGPT isn't working, try these in order: (1) check status.openai.com for a real outage, (2) open ChatGPT in an Incognito/Private window, (3) clear your browser cache and cookies, (4) disable extensions. Those four steps fix the vast majority of cases. If none of them work, it's probably an account-specific issue — keep reading.
ChatGPT stopped working. Maybe it won't load at all. Maybe you're getting a vague error message. Maybe it was fine an hour ago and now it's broken with no obvious explanation.
There are a few different things this could be, and they each have a different fix. Let me walk through them systematically — starting with the fastest checks and moving to the deeper fixes.
Step 1: Check the Official OpenAI Status Page
Before doing anything else, go to status.openai.com.
This is OpenAI's real-time status dashboard. It shows the operational status for:
- ChatGPT (the web and app interface)
- API (for developers)
- DALL-E (image generation)
- Playground
Green means operational, yellow means degraded performance, red means major outage. If there's an active incident, you'll see a banner at the top with details and a timeline of updates.
If the status page shows "All Systems Operational" and ChatGPT still isn't working for you -- the problem is on your side, not OpenAI's. Skip to the troubleshooting steps below.
If there's an active incident: you wait. Most issues resolve within 1-3 hours based on OpenAI's historical pattern.
Third-Party Status Checkers
OpenAI's status page is usually accurate, but it occasionally lags behind real-world reports by 10-20 minutes. For a second opinion:
Downdetector.com/status/openai aggregates user-submitted reports. A sudden spike in the chart means a lot of people are reporting problems simultaneously -- useful for catching degradations that haven't been officially acknowledged yet.
Searching "ChatGPT down" on X/Twitter is also genuinely useful in real-time. When ChatGPT goes down, it trends within minutes, and user reports often outpace the official status page.
Fix #1: Try Incognito Mode (Do This First)
Before anything else: open a new Incognito or Private window and try loading ChatGPT there.
This is the fastest diagnostic. Incognito mode loads with no extensions and no cached data. If ChatGPT works in Incognito but not in your normal browser window, the problem is either a browser extension or cached/corrupted data -- not an OpenAI issue.
If it works in Incognito: proceed to Fix #2 (browser cache) and Fix #3 (extensions).
If it doesn't work in Incognito either: the issue is more likely account-specific or network-related. Jump to Fix #4.
Fix #2: Clear Your Browser Cache and Cookies
Cached data and cookies are responsible for a surprisingly high percentage of "ChatGPT won't load" reports. Stale cookies or corrupted cached resources can cause loading failures, login loops, and session errors.
How to clear for ChatGPT specifically (instead of nuking your entire browser cache):
Chrome / Edge:
- Go to
chrome://settings/privacy→ "Clear browsing data" - Set time range to "All time"
- Check "Cookies and other site data" and "Cached images and files"
- Click "Clear data"
Or, more surgical: F12 → Application tab → Cookies → find openai.com → right-click → Clear. Then reload.
Firefox: Preferences → Privacy & Security → Clear Data → check both Cookies and Cache → Clear.
Safari: Develop menu → Empty Caches, then Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data → Remove All.
After clearing, close the browser fully (not just the tab) and reopen.
Fix #3: Disable Browser Extensions
Ad blockers, VPN extensions, privacy tools, and script blockers can interfere with ChatGPT's loading scripts. This is particularly common with aggressive ad blockers like uBlock Origin at maximum filter settings.
To test: go to your browser's extension settings and disable all extensions temporarily. Then reload ChatGPT. If it works, re-enable extensions one at a time to identify the culprit.
Common problematic extensions: uBlock Origin (try allowlisting chat.openai.com), Privacy Badger, Ghostery, and VPN browser extensions.
Fix #4: Check Your Network and VPN
If you're using a VPN, try turning it off. OpenAI rate-limits or blocks certain VPN exit nodes and countries. A VPN that worked yesterday might route through a different server today that's on OpenAI's blocked list.
Steps:
- Disable VPN completely
- Reload ChatGPT
- If it works without VPN, either allow ChatGPT to bypass the VPN or try a different VPN server location
If you're not using a VPN and ChatGPT won't load but other sites work fine: try a different browser, or try on a different device on the same network to determine whether it's browser-specific or network-specific.
Fix #5: Account-Specific Issues
If ChatGPT loads but you're getting errors after signing in, the problem may be account-level.
Session token refresh: Sign out completely (click your profile → Log out), clear your cookies for openai.com, then sign back in. Corrupted session tokens cause persistent login-loop issues that a fresh sign-in resolves.
Billing problems: A failed payment on a ChatGPT Plus subscription can cause account-level errors that surface as ChatGPT "not working" rather than clearly showing as a payment issue. Check your account billing settings at chat.openai.com/profile.
Account flag: Unusual activity can trigger temporary account restrictions. If you've been using the API or ChatGPT at high volume, this is worth checking. Contact support if you suspect it.
Two-factor authentication hiccups: If you have 2FA enabled and you're seeing login failures that aren't obviously password-related, check whether your authenticator app is generating correct codes (clock sync issues cause this). If you use email-based 2FA, make sure OpenAI's emails aren't landing in spam.
Subscription confusion between ChatGPT and the API: Your ChatGPT Plus subscription and your OpenAI API credits are separate. If you're accessing ChatGPT through the web interface, API credit exhaustion won't affect you. If you're accessing ChatGPT through the API directly, it will. Worth clarifying which you're doing if the error messages don't match what you'd expect.
Common ChatGPT Error Messages and What They Mean
"ChatGPT is at capacity right now" — Not an outage. Free-tier users get throttled during peak demand. Try again in 20-30 minutes, or upgrade to Plus for priority access.
"Something went wrong. If this issue persists, please contact us." — Generic catch-all. Could be a temporary API hiccup or an actual problem. Check the status page first; if it shows operational, clear cache and retry.
"An error occurred. Either the engine you requested does not exist..." — API-side issue. Not account-specific. Wait it out or retry.
"Too many requests in 1 hour. Try again later." — Rate limit. This is usage throttling, not a platform outage. Wait the hour.
Blank screen / infinite loading on chat.openai.com — Almost always a browser or extension issue. Incognito mode test first.
"You've reached the usage limit for GPT-4" — Model-specific rate limit on Plus accounts. You can switch to GPT-3.5/GPT-4o while waiting for the limit to reset, or continue in a few hours.
Mobile App Issues
ChatGPT's iOS and Android apps have their own set of common failures.
App won't open or crashes immediately: Force-quit the app, then reopen. If that doesn't work, try uninstalling and reinstalling -- the app caches data that can get corrupted after updates.
"Network error" on mobile: Check whether you're on Wi-Fi vs. cellular. OpenAI's servers occasionally have issues routing through certain mobile carriers. Switching from Wi-Fi to cellular (or vice versa) can resolve it.
Login loop on mobile: Delete the app's stored credentials in your phone's settings, then log in fresh. On iOS: Settings → ChatGPT → Clear app cache if available.
App updated but now broken: Wait. When OpenAI pushes app updates, there's occasionally a brief window where the new app version and server-side changes are out of sync. Usually resolves within a few hours.
What to Do While ChatGPT Is Down
The two closest substitutes:
Claude (Anthropic) — Strong on long-context tasks, nuanced writing, and reasoning. Free tier available. If your ChatGPT use is primarily writing or analysis, Claude is the most direct substitute. See our Claude vs. ChatGPT comparison for the detailed breakdown.
Gemini (Google) — Better integration with Google Workspace apps. Good for users in the Google ecosystem. Free tier is accessible and capable for standard tasks.
Both are usable without new subscriptions if you already have accounts.
How to Get Notified of Future Outages
Set this up now, not after the next outage.
- Go to status.openai.com
- Click "Subscribe to Updates"
- Enter your email
- Choose incident types: maintenance, incidents, resolutions
You'll get an email the moment OpenAI posts an incident. Takes 60 seconds. Worth doing.
OpenAI's developer account (@OpenAIDevs) on X/Twitter also posts status updates in real-time.
If Nothing Works: Contact Support
If you've gone through all the steps above and ChatGPT still isn't working:
- Go to chat.openai.com/help
- Include: your account email, browser/OS, the exact error message, and what troubleshooting steps you've already tried
- Support response times vary, but Plus subscribers typically get faster responses
Also worth checking: our ChatGPT Review 2026 for context on what's working well when it's actually working, and Claude vs. ChatGPT for writing if you're considering making a switch.
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