Is ChatGPT down right now

You try to open ChatGPT and see a blank screen, an error message, or an endless loading spinner. Within 30 seconds, you can confirm whether this is an OpenAI-wide outage or a problem on your end by checking the live OpenAI status monitor on this site—it pulls data directly from OpenAI's official feed every 60 seconds.

How to check if OpenAI is actually down

The quickest way to verify an outage is this site's live OpenAI status page. It updates every minute with the current operational status of ChatGPT, the API, Sora, and other OpenAI services. If the status shows "Operational" in green across all components but you're still having problems, the issue is almost certainly on your end.

OpenAI's official status page at status.openai.com provides the same information—component-level status including ChatGPT web, ChatGPT iOS, ChatGPT Android, and the OpenAI API. During a real outage, you'll see "Partial Outage" or "Major Outage" with a detailed incident report. These reports typically specify which geographic regions are affected and what functionality is impaired.

Third-party monitoring sites like Downdetector show user-submitted reports, which can confirm widespread problems within minutes. But remember: a spike in reports doesn't always mean OpenAI's servers are down—it can indicate a browser issue, DNS problem, or ISP routing failure affecting thousands of users simultaneously.

Is it OpenAI or is it you

If the status monitor shows everything operational, isolate the problem with these steps:

Open an incognito or private browsing window—go to chatgpt.com and try logging in. This bypasses cached data and disabled cookies that might be blocking the interface.

Clear your browser cache and cookies specifically for chatgpt.com—in Chrome, click the padlock icon in the address bar, then "Site settings", scroll down to "Clear data". In Firefox, click the padlock, then "Clear Cookies and Site Data". In Safari, go to Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data, search for "chatgpt.com", and remove it.

Disable browser extensions—ad blockers, privacy tools, and VPN extensions frequently interfere with ChatGPT's authentication flow. Turn them all off temporarily and reload.

Check your network—if you're on a VPN, disconnect it. Corporate networks and university Wi-Fi often block chatgpt.com or openai.com domains. Switch to mobile data as a test.

Try the mobile app instead of the browser—download the official ChatGPT app for iOS or Android. If the app works but the website doesn't, you've confirmed a browser-specific issue.

Test on a different device—if ChatGPT loads fine on your phone but not your laptop, the problem is device-specific—likely an extension, firewall setting, or DNS configuration.

For more systematic troubleshooting steps, see ChatGPT not working — troubleshooting.

What to do during an outage

If you've confirmed OpenAI is actually down, here's what you should and shouldn't do:

Wait it out—most ChatGPT outages resolve within 15-45 minutes. OpenAI's engineering team typically posts updates to status.openai.com every 10-20 minutes during an incident.

For API users: implement exponential backoff—if you're getting 503 errors or timeouts, don't hammer the endpoint with retries. Use exponential backoff: wait 1 second, then 2, then 4, then 8, up to a maximum of 60 seconds between attempts. Queue your requests and process them when service resumes.

Don't delete your account or cancel your subscription—this won't fix anything and you'll lose your chat history and custom GPTs permanently.

Don't spam OpenAI support—during widespread outages, support channels are flooded with identical reports. They already know. Instead, bookmark the live status monitor and check it every few minutes.

Don't re-enter your payment information—payment processing issues during outages are temporary. Wait for the all-clear on status.openai.com before making account changes.

Questions people actually ask

Q: Is ChatGPT down right now?

A: Check the live OpenAI status monitor on this page—it updates every 60 seconds from OpenAI's official feed and shows real-time operational status for ChatGPT web, mobile apps, and API.

Q: Why does ChatGPT say "ChatGPT is at capacity right now"?

A: That's a load-balancing message, not a complete outage. Free-tier users see it during peak usage hours. ChatGPT Plus subscribers ($20/month) get priority access and rarely encounter this message.

Q: Does clearing my browser cache delete my chat history?

A: No. Your conversations are stored on OpenAI's servers, tied to your account. Clearing local cache only removes temporary files and cookies.

Q: How long do ChatGPT outages usually last?

A: Most resolve in under an hour. The longest documented outages lasted 2-3 hours. Check status.openai.com for incident-specific estimates.

What to remember

The live status monitor on this site updates every 60 seconds—bookmark it
"Operational" status means the problem is on your end—start with incognito mode and clearing cache
Don't delete your account, cancel subscriptions, or contact support during confirmed outages
API users should implement exponential backoff and request queuing
The ChatGPT mobile app sometimes works when the website doesn't

Related help

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