ChatGPT not working today?

You load ChatGPT and get an error. Or it loads but won't respond. Before you assume it's a global outage, check our [live OpenAI status](/status) — it updates every 60 seconds from OpenAI's official feed and tells you im

ChatGPT not working today?

You load ChatGPT and get an error. Or it loads but won't respond. Before you assume it's a global outage, check our live OpenAI status — it updates every 60 seconds from OpenAI's official feed and tells you immediately if the service is actually down or if you're dealing with a local problem.

How to check if OpenAI is actually down

Start with our live OpenAI status monitor at the top of this page. It pulls directly from status.openai.com every 60 seconds and shows component-level status for ChatGPT, the API, and other services. If you see "Operational" across the board, the problem is likely on your end.

Head to status.openai.com for OpenAI's official incident reports. They post there when ChatGPT is experiencing degraded performance, partial outages, or complete downtime. You'll see the specific component affected — ChatGPT web interface, mobile app, API endpoints, or login services — along with timestamps and updates. If there's no incident listed, they're not reporting problems.

Third-party monitoring sites like Downdetector show real-time user reports. A sudden spike in reports from multiple countries suggests a genuine outage. But scattered reports could mean local ISP issues or individual account problems. Check Twitter or Reddit for corroborating evidence — if hundreds of people are posting "ChatGPT down" in the last 10 minutes, it's probably real.

Is it OpenAI or is it you

Open an incognito or private browsing window and try chatgpt.com there. This bypasses extensions, cached data, and stored cookies. If ChatGPT works in incognito, you've got a local problem. If it still fails, keep testing.

Clear your browser cache and cookies specifically for chatgpt.com. In Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Delete browsing data → select "Cookies and other site data" and "Cached images and files" → Time range: All time. In Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data → Clear Data. Then restart your browser completely.

Disable all browser extensions temporarily. Ad blockers, privacy tools, and VPN extensions can interfere with ChatGPT's JavaScript or block OpenAI's CDN. Test with extensions off. If it works, re-enable them one by one to find the culprit.

Try a different network. If you're on Wi-Fi, switch to mobile data. If you're on a VPN, disconnect it — some corporate or country-specific VPNs block OpenAI services. Some workplace or university networks actively filter chatgpt.com. Testing from a different network isolates whether your ISP or network is the problem.

Test the mobile app if you've been using the browser, or vice versa. The iOS and Android apps connect through different infrastructure. If the app works but the web doesn't, you've narrowed it down. Also try a different device entirely — desktop vs laptop vs tablet.

For detailed troubleshooting beyond these basics, see ChatGPT not working — troubleshooting.

What to do during an outage

Check our live OpenAI status monitor and status.openai.com to confirm the outage is official. If OpenAI acknowledges it, you're waiting for their engineers to fix it. There's nothing you can do to speed this up.

If you're an API user, implement exponential backoff in your code. When you get a 503 or 529 error, don't retry immediately. Wait 1 second, then 2, then 4, then 8. Use a retry budget — stop after 5 attempts. Queue requests instead of bombarding the API during recovery, which makes the outage worse for everyone.

Don't delete your ChatGPT account. Don't cancel and re-subscribe to Plus. Don't clear your conversation history thinking it'll help. These actions create permanent problems for a temporary outage.

Don't spam OpenAI support. They're already aware of confirmed outages. Individual tickets don't accelerate fixes and clog the queue for people with actual account issues. For API problems showing error codes, see OpenAI API error 429 and other API errors. For support contact info, see How to contact OpenAI support.

Questions people actually ask

Q: Is ChatGPT down right now?

A: Check our live OpenAI status monitor — it updates every 60 seconds from OpenAI's official status feed. If all components show "Operational", ChatGPT isn't officially down. The problem might be local to your network, browser, or account.

Q: How long do ChatGPT outages usually last?

A: Most last 15-60 minutes. Major incidents can run 2-4 hours. OpenAI posts estimates and updates on status.openai.com. Past outages have ranged from 8 minutes to 6 hours for complete service restoration.

Q: Will OpenAI refund me for downtime?

A: ChatGPT Plus doesn't include uptime guarantees or automatic refunds. API Enterprise customers have SLA terms, but consumer subscribers don't. You can request a prorated refund through help.openai.com, but it's not guaranteed.

What to remember

  • Our live OpenAI status updates every 60 seconds — check it first before troubleshooting
  • Test in incognito mode and on a different network to isolate local vs global problems
  • Clear browser cache for chatgpt.com specifically, not your entire browser history
  • During confirmed outages, wait it out — don't delete your account or spam support
  • Check status.openai.com for official incident reports with timestamps and ETAs

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

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