ChatGPT not working today?

You're seeing error messages, blank screens, or endless loading spinners in ChatGPT. Before you assume it's a widespread outage, you need to check two things: OpenAI's actual service status and whether the problem is on

ChatGPT not working today?

You're seeing error messages, blank screens, or endless loading spinners in ChatGPT. Before you assume it's a widespread outage, you need to check two things: OpenAI's actual service status and whether the problem is on your end. Here's how to tell the difference in under a minute.

How to check if OpenAI is actually down

Start with the live OpenAI status monitor on this site — it pulls data directly from OpenAI's official status feed every 60 seconds and shows you exactly which services are affected. You'll see separate status indicators for ChatGPT (web and mobile), the API, Sora, and other components. If everything shows green but you're still having problems, it's almost certainly a local issue.

Head to status.openai.com for OpenAI's official incident reports. When there's a real outage, they post updates within minutes and track resolution progress. Look at the component-level status — ChatGPT might be operational while the API is degraded, or vice versa. Past incidents show service disruptions, so you can see whether today's problem matches a known pattern.

Check X (formerly Twitter) by searching "ChatGPT down" or "OpenAI down" and filtering by recent posts. Genuine outages generate hundreds of reports within minutes. If you see three complaints from two hours ago, it's probably not an outage. Third-party monitoring sites like DownDetector can confirm widespread issues, but they're not always accurate — treat them as supporting evidence, not primary sources.

Is it OpenAI or is it you

Open an incognito or private browsing window and go to chatgpt.com. Log in fresh. If ChatGPT works there but not in your regular browser, you've got a local problem — likely cached data or an extension conflict.

Clear your browser cache and cookies specifically for chatgpt.com. In Chrome: Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data > choose "Cookies and other site data" and "Cached images and files", then click "See all site data and permissions" to delete only ChatGPT data. In Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data > search for "chatgpt.com" > Remove. In Firefox: Options > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data > Manage Data > search and remove.

Disable all browser extensions temporarily. Extensions that block scripts, modify page content, or manage cookies often break ChatGPT's real-time features. Test with everything off, then re-enable one at a time to find the culprit. Ad blockers and privacy extensions are the usual suspects.

Try a different network. If you're on a VPN, turn it off — some VPN IP addresses get flagged. If you're on corporate or school WiFi, try mobile data — institutional networks often block ChatGPT or throttle AI services. If you're at home, restart your router and wait 60 seconds before testing again.

Switch between the mobile app and web browser. If the app fails but the browser works (or vice versa), the problem is device-specific. Update your ChatGPT app to the latest version — check the App Store or Play Store. If you're on desktop, try both the web version at chatgpt.com and the native desktop app if you have it installed.

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

What to do during an outage

Wait it out. Real outages typically resolve within 30-90 minutes. OpenAI runs redundant systems and has engineers on call 24/7. Refreshing repeatedly or logging out and back in won't help — you're just adding load to struggling servers.

If you're an API user, implement exponential backoff in your code. Start with a 1-second wait after the first error, then 2 seconds, 4 seconds, 8 seconds. The official API returns error 429 when rate-limited and error 503 during service disruptions — handle both gracefully. Queue requests instead of dropping them. For API-specific issues, see OpenAI API error 429 and other API errors.

Don't delete your account, cancel your subscription, or open multiple support tickets. These actions complicate your situation without solving the immediate problem. Plus accounts typically can't switch to free accounts during outages anyway — you'll just lose access entirely.

Document the exact error messages you're seeing — screenshots help. Note the time, which features failed, and what you were doing when it broke. If you need to contact support after the outage, this information speeds up resolution. Learn more at How to contact OpenAI support.

Questions people actually ask

Q: Is ChatGPT down right now?

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

Q: How long do ChatGPT outages usually last?

A: Most service disruptions resolve within 30-90 minutes. Major incidents occasionally take 2-4 hours. OpenAI posts updates on status.openai.com throughout.

Q: Will OpenAI refund me for downtime?

A: ChatGPT Plus subscribers don't get automatic refunds for brief outages. API users have SLA credits for extended downtime, detailed in their service agreement.

What to remember

  • Check the live status monitor here and status.openai.com before troubleshooting locally
  • Test in incognito mode first — it eliminates 80% of false alarms
  • Clear cache and cookies for chatgpt.com specifically, not your entire browser
  • Switch networks and disable your VPN if you're getting connection errors
  • During real outages, wait and don't spam the system — you're making it worse

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

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