ChatGPT down right now?

You're staring at a blank screen, a spinning loader, or an error message where ChatGPT should be. Before you assume the worst, spend 30 seconds checking two things: whether you can load chatgpt.com at all, and whether th

ChatGPT down right now?

You're staring at a blank screen, a spinning loader, or an error message where ChatGPT should be. Before you assume the worst, spend 30 seconds checking two things: whether you can load chatgpt.com at all, and whether the live OpenAI status monitor shows any incidents.

How to check if OpenAI is actually down

Start with this site's live OpenAI status monitor — it pulls data directly from OpenAI's official status feed every 60 seconds and breaks down performance by component. If you see "ChatGPT" listed as degraded or down, the problem isn't on your end. The monitor tracks ChatGPT separately from the API, Sora, and other services, so you'll know exactly which part of OpenAI's infrastructure is affected.

Next, visit status.openai.com directly. OpenAI posts confirmed outages there, usually within minutes of detection. Look for the specific component — "ChatGPT" not just "API" — and check the incident timeline. If the status page shows all systems operational but you still can't access ChatGPT, the issue is likely local to your setup or region.

Third-party monitoring sites like Downdetector can show you whether other users are reporting problems at the same time. A sudden spike in reports correlates with real outages. If you see thousands of reports in the past 15 minutes, it's almost certainly an OpenAI-side problem. If reports are scattered or minimal, start troubleshooting your own connection.

Is it OpenAI or is it you

Open an incognito or private browsing window and try loading chatgpt.com. This bypasses your cache, cookies, and extensions. If ChatGPT loads fine in incognito, you've confirmed the problem is local. Clear your browser cache: in Chrome, go to Settings → Privacy and security → Clear browsing data → select "Cached images and files" and "Cookies and other site data" for chatgpt.com specifically, then restart your browser.

Disable browser extensions one by one, especially ad blockers, privacy tools, and VPN extensions. Some extensions block WebSocket connections ChatGPT relies on for real-time responses. Turn them all off, reload ChatGPT, then re-enable extensions individually to isolate the culprit.

Check your network. Try switching from WiFi to mobile data, or vice versa. If ChatGPT works on mobile data but not WiFi, your router or ISP might be blocking OpenAI's servers. Disable any VPN or proxy — some VPN exit nodes are blacklisted by OpenAI's fraud detection. If you're on a corporate or school network, firewall rules may block chatgpt.com entirely.

Test the ChatGPT mobile app versus the browser. If the app works but the browser doesn't, it's a browser configuration issue. If neither works, and you've ruled out your network, check the live OpenAI status again — degraded performance sometimes shows up as partial failures that affect some users but not others.

For more detailed troubleshooting, see ChatGPT not working — troubleshooting.

What to do during an outage

Don't refresh the page repeatedly. You're just adding load to already stressed servers. OpenAI publishes estimated restoration times on status.openai.com — subscribe to updates there so you get notified when service resumes.

If you're using the API, implement exponential backoff in your retry logic. Start with a 1-second delay, double it with each retry (2s, 4s, 8s), and cap retries at 5 attempts. Queue requests locally instead of bombarding the API with repeated calls. Check OpenAI API error 429 and other API errors for handling rate limits during degraded performance.

Do not delete your ChatGPT account or cancel your subscription. Outages are temporary. You won't get faster access by recreating your account, and you may lose your conversation history.

Do not spam OpenAI support with "is it down?" tickets. They're already aware. If you need to report a critical API issue affecting production systems, see How to contact OpenAI support for the proper channels.

Document what you were doing when ChatGPT stopped responding — the exact error message, error code if shown, and the URL. This helps you troubleshoot later and provides useful details if you need to contact support about a persistent issue.

Questions people actually ask

Q: Is ChatGPT down right now?

A: Check the live OpenAI status monitor on this site — it updates every 60 seconds from OpenAI's official feed and shows you component-level status for ChatGPT, the API, and other services.

Q: How long do ChatGPT outages usually last?

A: Most outages resolve within 30 minutes to 2 hours. Major incidents affecting multiple systems can take 4-6 hours. OpenAI posts time estimates on status.openai.com.

Q: Will I get a refund for ChatGPT Plus downtime?

A: OpenAI doesn't automatically issue refunds for brief outages. Extended downtime affecting service availability over multiple days may qualify — contact support with specific dates and durations.

What to remember

  • Check the live status monitor first — updates every 60 seconds
  • Test in incognito mode to rule out cache and extension conflicts
  • Switch networks (WiFi to mobile data) to identify connection blocks
  • Never delete your account or re-subscribe during an outage
  • Subscribe to status.openai.com updates instead of refreshing constantly

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*openai-support.com is an independent resource, not affiliated with OpenAI Inc.*

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