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)
If the status page shows “We’re fully operational” and ChatGPT still isn’t working for you – the problem is on your side, not OpenAI’s (Source). Skip to the troubleshooting steps below.
If there’s an active incident: you wait.
Third-Party Status Checkers
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.
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. 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
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:
- At the top right, select More → “Delete browsing data”
- Set time range to “All time”
- Check “Cookies and other site data”
- Click “Delete data” (Source)
Or, more surgical: F12 → Application tab → Cookies → find chatgpt.com → Clear all. Then reload.
Firefox: Preferences → Privacy & Security → Clear Data → check both Cookies and Cache → Clear.
Safari: Safari → Settings → Privacy → Manage Website Data → Remove All (Source).
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.
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.
Fix #4: Check Your Network and VPN
If you’re using a VPN, try turning it off.
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 then sign back in. Corrupted session tokens cause persistent login-loop issues that a fresh sign-in resolves.
Billing problems: Check your account billing settings in ChatGPT under Settings → Billing (Source).
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. 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.
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.
“Network error” on mobile: Check whether you’re on Wi-Fi vs. cellular. Switching from Wi-Fi to cellular (or vice versa) can resolve it.
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
You’ll get an email the moment OpenAI posts an incident. Worth doing.
If Nothing Works: Contact Support
If you’ve gone through all the steps above and ChatGPT still isn’t working:
- Go to help.openai.com
- Include: your account email, browser/OS, the exact error message, and what troubleshooting steps you’ve already tried
- Support response times vary
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.