Is ChatGPT down right now

ChatGPT stops responding mid-conversation, throws a network error, or won't load past the login screen. Check our [live OpenAI status](/status) monitor in under 30 seconds — it updates every 60 seconds from OpenAI's offi

Is ChatGPT down right now

ChatGPT stops responding mid-conversation, throws a network error, or won't load past the login screen. Check our live OpenAI status monitor in under 30 seconds — it updates every 60 seconds from OpenAI's official feed and shows exactly which components are degraded or offline.

How to check if OpenAI is actually down

Start with the live OpenAI status monitor on this site. It pulls directly from status.openai.com and breaks down service health by component: ChatGPT web, ChatGPT mobile apps, API, and Sora. If you see "Operational" across the board but ChatGPT still won't work for you, the problem is likely on your end.

OpenAI's official status page at status.openai.com gives you the same information, plus historical incident reports. Look for orange "Degraded Performance" or red "Major Outage" badges. Partial outages are common — the API might be fine while the web interface struggles, or free-tier users might see errors while Plus subscribers get through.

Third-party monitoring sites like DownDetector aggregate user reports in real time. A sudden spike in reports (hundreds within 10 minutes) usually confirms a widespread issue. Twitter/X searches for "ChatGPT down" also surface complaints fast, though individual posts don't prove anything without volume.

Is it OpenAI or is it you

Before assuming the service is down, isolate your setup. Open ChatGPT in an incognito or private browsing window — this disables extensions and uses a clean session. If it loads, an extension is interfering. Common culprits: ad blockers, privacy tools like Privacy Badger, and VPN-related plugins.

Clear your browser cache and cookies specifically for chatgpt.com: Chrome → Settings → Privacy and security → Delete browsing data → Cookies and cached images → Time range: All time. Firefox → Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data → Manage Data → search "chatgpt.com" → Remove Selected. Safari → Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data → search "chatgpt.com" → Remove.

Try a different browser. If ChatGPT works in Firefox but not Chrome, you've narrowed it to browser-specific settings or extensions. Switch between the web interface at chatgpt.com and the mobile app (iOS or Android) — they use separate infrastructure paths. If the app works but the website doesn't, your network or DNS might be blocking web traffic.

Disable your VPN temporarily. Some VPN exit nodes get flagged by OpenAI's anti-abuse systems, triggering "Access denied" or "Too many requests from your IP" errors. Test without the VPN, then try switching to a different VPN server location if you need one. Check ChatGPT not working — troubleshooting for network-specific fixes.

Test on mobile data versus Wi-Fi. If ChatGPT loads on your phone's cellular connection but not your home network, your router's DNS settings or ISP might be the issue. Switch your DNS to 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) or 8.8.8.8 (Google) in your device's network settings.

What to do during an outage

Wait it out. Most OpenAI outages resolve within 30 minutes to 2 hours. Refreshing the page every 10 seconds won't help — you'll just add load to already struggling servers. Check the live OpenAI status monitor here for updates every 60 seconds instead.

For API users: implement exponential backoff in your code. After a 503 or 429 error, wait 1 second, then 2, then 4, then 8 before retrying. Don't retry immediately in a loop — that worsens outages. Set retry budgets (max 5 attempts) and queue failed requests for later. OpenAI's rate limit documentation at platform.openai.com/docs explains the proper retry headers.

Don't delete your account or cancel your subscription during an outage. Temporary service disruptions don't entitle you to refunds according to OpenAI's Terms of Service, and you'll lose access to your conversation history. Don't spam the support form — they already know about widespread outages and can't respond to thousands of duplicate reports.

Save your work locally. Copy important ChatGPT responses to a text file or note-taking app while you can. During outages, unsaved conversations sometimes disappear when the service comes back online.

Questions people actually ask

Q: Is ChatGPT down right now?

A: Check the live OpenAI status monitor at the top of this page — it updates every 60 seconds from OpenAI's official feed and shows current component health for ChatGPT web, mobile apps, API, and Sora.

Q: Why does ChatGPT say "Network error" but other websites work?

A: Network errors during partial outages affect some users but not others, depending on which OpenAI server cluster you're routed to. It's not your internet connection — verify on the status monitor and wait 15-30 minutes.

Q: Does OpenAI refund Plus subscriptions for downtime?

A: No. OpenAI's Terms of Service don't guarantee uptime percentages or provide automatic refunds for service interruptions. Outages lasting several hours are rare but don't trigger refund policies.

Q: Can I switch to the API when ChatGPT web is down?

A: Sometimes. The API runs on separate infrastructure and often stays up when the web interface struggles, but you need a paid API account with credits and you'll write code or use API tools instead of the chat interface.

What to remember

Check the live OpenAI status monitor first — updates every 60 seconds from official OpenAI data
Test in incognito mode, different browsers, and mobile app to isolate local issues
Clear chatgpt.com cookies and cache if the site won't load but status shows operational
Disable VPN temporarily — some exit nodes trigger access blocks
During outages, don't spam refresh, delete accounts, or flood support — wait 30-60 minutes and check status updates

Related help

---

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