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Gemini's been around long enough that most of the common breakages are well understood at this point. The problem is the error messages are still terrible. "Something went wrong" doesn't help anyone. "Try again later" is not a fix.
So let's actually fix it.
Work through these in order. Most people hit their solution somewhere in the first four.
Quick Check: Is Gemini Actually Down?
Before you do anything else -- check status.google.com.
Seriously. Do this first. If Gemini's having a service disruption, no amount of cache clearing or browser switching will help. You're waiting it out.
Google's status page shows live service health for Gmail, Workspace, Google Cloud, and yes, Gemini. If you see a red or yellow indicator next to Gemini or the underlying services it depends on, that's your answer. Come back in an hour.
Outages are less common than they used to be, but they happen. And the worst thing you can do is spend 45 minutes troubleshooting a problem that Google was already fixing.
If status.google.com shows everything green? Good. Now we troubleshoot.
Fix 1: Clear Browser Cache and Cookies
This solves it more often than it should.
Open an incognito window first -- just Ctrl+Shift+N (Chrome) or Cmd+Shift+N (Mac). Navigate to gemini.google.com and try again.
If it works in incognito? Cache or cookie issue. Your browser is holding onto old data that's conflicting with the current session.
To clear it fully in Chrome: Ctrl+Shift+Delete → set time range to "All time" → check "Cached images and files" and "Cookies and other site data" → clear it. Then restart Chrome and try Gemini fresh.
In Firefox: Ctrl+Shift+Delete → same idea. "Everything" time range, cookies and cache, clear now.
One thing worth knowing: clearing cookies will sign you out of everything. That's expected. You'll need to sign back in to Google.
Fix 2: Try a Different Browser
If clearing the cache didn't help, switch browsers entirely.
Chrome, Firefox, Edge -- try whichever one you don't normally use. This tells you whether the issue is browser-specific (extensions, settings, version compatibility) or something broader.
Gemini works best on Chrome, which makes sense given they're both Google products. If Gemini's broken in Firefox but fine in Chrome, that's a Firefox configuration issue -- probably an extension. If it's broken in both, the problem's elsewhere.
Edge gets overlooked here. It's Chromium-based, so if something works in Chrome but not Edge (or vice versa), it's usually a setting difference rather than a fundamental incompatibility. Worth a quick check though.
Safari on Mac: Gemini generally works, but I've seen occasional layout quirks. If you're on Safari and having problems, Chrome should be your first alternative test.
Fix 3: Disable Browser Extensions (Especially Ad Blockers)
This is the fix that surprises people.
Extensions -- especially ad blockers and privacy tools -- frequently break AI interfaces. They block scripts they think are trackers, interfere with API calls, or just generally get in the way of the web app doing what it needs to do.
The culprits I've seen most often: uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger, any VPN browser extension, and some password managers. If you run a lot of extensions, temporarily disable all of them and reload Gemini. If it works, re-enable them one at a time until you find the offender.
In Chrome: click the puzzle piece icon in the toolbar → right-click each extension → "Disable."
Alternatively, open a clean Chrome profile (no extensions by default) and test there. Same idea as incognito but without the profile isolation.
Ad blockers are the most common cause. If you're running uBlock Origin with aggressive settings, you may need to add gemini.google.com to the allow list. That's in uBlock's dashboard under "My rules" or just click the power button on the extension popup when you're on the Gemini tab.
Fix 4: Check Your Google Account
Sign out and back in.
This sounds dumb. It helps more than you'd expect.
Go to myaccount.google.com, scroll down and click "Sign out of all devices" -- or just sign out from your current browser and sign back in. Then try Gemini again.
Session tokens expire and go weird. Especially if you've been logged in for a long time, switched networks, or recently changed your password. A fresh authentication often clears up weird behavior that has nothing to do with your local browser state.
Also worth checking: if you have multiple Google accounts, make sure you're on the right one. Gemini availability varies by account type, and if your personal account has access but you're signed into a work account that doesn't, you'll get errors that feel like technical problems but are actually just account-level restrictions.
Check the account switcher (the circle with your photo in the top right of any Google page) to confirm which account is active.
Fix 5: Check Your Internet Connection and Speed
Worth eliminating.
Gemini -- especially for image generation and longer responses -- needs a reasonably solid connection. It's not a huge bandwidth requirement, but a flaky connection that's dropping packets will cause timeouts and partial failures that look like Gemini bugs.
Quick test: run a speed check. Anything above 5 Mbps download should be fine for normal Gemini use. If you're on a congested network or a weak WiFi signal, try moving closer to your router or switching to a wired connection.
The more common issue isn't bandwidth -- it's latency and packet loss. A connection with decent download speed but lots of packet loss will cause intermittent failures that are hard to pin down. If your internet feels generally flaky today, that's probably your answer.
Try restarting your router while you're at it. The classic IT fix works.
Fix 6: VPN Conflicts (Disable VPN Temporarily)
VPNs cause more AI tool problems than people realize.
If you're running a VPN, disable it and try Gemini again. Some VPN exit nodes are flagged by Google's systems and will result in restricted access or error responses. This is especially common with shared VPN servers where other users have been abusive.
It's also a routing issue sometimes -- your VPN might be routing your traffic through a region where Gemini has limited availability (more on that in Fix 9 below).
Surfshark, NordVPN, and similar services all have quick "pause" options that temporarily disable the VPN without fully disconnecting. Use that to test. If Gemini works with the VPN off, you've found your issue.
If you need the VPN for work reasons, try switching server locations -- connect to a different country/region and see if that helps. A US or UK exit node is safest for Gemini availability.
Fix 7: Gemini Advanced vs Free Tier Issues
These are different products with different failure modes.
Free tier (Gemini): Uses Gemini 1.5 Flash by default. Can experience capacity constraints during peak hours. If you're getting "service unavailable" errors and everything else checks out, peak load is a real possibility -- try again in off-peak hours.
Gemini Advanced: Requires a Google One AI Premium subscription. If Gemini Advanced isn't working, verify your subscription is active at one.google.com. Subscription renewal failures can silently downgrade your access without a clear error message.
A few things to check if you're on Gemini Advanced:
- Subscription status and billing in Google One
- That you're signed in to the account the subscription is attached to (common mistake when switching between personal and work accounts)
- That your payment method is current -- an expired card can cause access loss with minimal warning
One frustrating quirk: Gemini sometimes shows the interface for Advanced features even after a subscription lapses, but the actual responses get downgraded or fail. If your outputs feel suddenly worse or certain features disappeared, check your subscription first.
Fix 8: Mobile App vs Web (Try Switching)
If the problem's on mobile, try the web version (or vice versa).
The Gemini app and the web interface are different code paths. A bug or outage in one doesn't always affect the other. If gemini.google.com is broken in your browser, the iOS or Android app might be working fine. And if the app's acting up, the web version often isn't.
For the mobile app:
- Check for updates in the App Store or Google Play. Outdated app versions cause compatibility issues, especially after Gemini backend updates.
- Force-close the app and reopen it. (Not just background it -- actually force-close it.)
- Log out and back in within the app.
For the web version:
- Works best on Chrome, as mentioned.
- Try on a desktop if you've only tested mobile browsers -- some mobile browsers have compatibility issues with complex web apps.
Also worth knowing: some Gemini features aren't available on mobile yet. If a specific capability isn't showing up in the app, check whether it exists on web. The Gemini feature rollout page sometimes has notes on platform availability.
Fix 9: Regional Availability Issues
Gemini isn't available everywhere.
Google's AI products have a complicated relationship with geography. Some features -- especially Gemini Advanced and image generation -- are only available in certain countries. If you're outside a supported region, you might get access errors that look like technical bugs but are actually availability restrictions.
Countries where Gemini has limited or no availability include much of the EU (due to regulatory considerations), some regions in Asia, and various markets where Google's infrastructure is limited.
Check support.google.com for the current list of supported regions -- it changes as Google expands availability.
If you're in a supported region and still getting geographic errors, your VPN might be making you appear to be in an unsupported region (see Fix 6). Disable it, confirm your actual IP shows your real location, and try again.
If you're genuinely in an unsupported region: you're limited here. The options are using a VPN with a supported-region exit node (which works but violates Google's ToS) or waiting for Google to expand access. For Gemini's image generation features specifically, these are available in more places than the advanced features -- check separately.
If you're using Gemini for image generation and run into regional blocks, there are solid alternatives -- the best AI image generators right now covers what's available and where they work.
When to Contact Google Support
None of these fixed it? That's when you escalate.
Google support for Gemini is... not great. But a few legitimate paths:
- Google One subscribers: Support via one.google.com/support. Actual humans, actual support ticket. This is the fastest path.
- Google Help Center: support.google.com/gemini. Self-service, but covers more documented error codes.
- Google Workspace admins: If this is a work account and Gemini's broken for your whole team, your Workspace admin can file a support ticket with higher priority than consumer support.
When you contact support, have these ready:
- Your browser and version
- Operating system
- Whether the issue is on web or mobile
- What you see (error message verbatim, or describe the behavior)
- What you've already tried
"It doesn't work" is a terrible support ticket. "Chrome 122 on Windows 11, I get a 403 error on the Gemini web app after signing in, have tried incognito and cleared cache" is a good one.
Also: check the Google Workspace Status page even if you're not a Workspace user. It sometimes surfaces issues that status.google.com doesn't catch immediately.
FAQ
Why does Gemini keep saying "something went wrong"?
This catch-all error covers a lot of different problems: rate limiting, authentication issues, service-side errors, or blocked requests. Work through the fixes above -- start with cache clearing and account sign-out. If the error persists after that, check status.google.com to see if there's a service disruption.
Why is Gemini so slow?
Slow responses usually mean one of three things: server-side load (try off-peak hours), a poor network connection with high latency, or a very long/complex prompt that takes more processing time. For consistent slowness, check your internet connection first. If that's fine, it's likely server load.
My Gemini Advanced features disappeared -- what happened?
Check your Google One subscription at one.google.com. Subscription payment failures, renewals that didn't process, or accidentally canceling are the most common causes. It's also possible you're signed into the wrong Google account.
Gemini worked yesterday. Nothing changed on my end. Why is it broken today?
Google pushes updates to Gemini constantly, and occasionally they introduce regressions. Check status.google.com first. If there's no official incident, try clearing your cache and signing out/in -- this resolves about 70% of "worked yesterday, broken today" situations. If neither helps, you may be affected by an undisclosed issue. Waiting a few hours often resolves these.
For alternatives if you need to keep working while Gemini's down: see our guide to the best AI tools for writing and the full how to use Google Gemini guide once things are back up.
If Gemini's persistent problems are making you consider alternatives, there are other options -- the ChatGPT not working guide covers similar troubleshooting for OpenAI's tool.
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