What to do during a ChatGPT outage

ChatGPT's down and you're stuck mid-conversation. Before you panic or delete your account, check the [live OpenAI status](/status) on this page — it updates every 60 seconds from OpenAI's official feed and shows exactly

What to do during a ChatGPT outage

ChatGPT's down and you're stuck mid-conversation. Before you panic or delete your account, check the live OpenAI status on this page — it updates every 60 seconds from OpenAI's official feed and shows exactly which services are affected.

How to check if OpenAI is actually down

Start with our live OpenAI status monitor at the top of this site. It pulls directly from status.openai.com and updates every minute, showing real-time availability for ChatGPT, the API, DALL-E, and Sora. If you see red indicators or "degraded performance" next to ChatGPT, the problem isn't you.

Head to status.openai.com for OpenAI's official breakdown by component. They list separate status for ChatGPT web, mobile apps, the conversational API, and backend services. You might find ChatGPT web is down but the API still works, or vice versa. Check the incident history at the bottom — OpenAI posts updates every 15-30 minutes during active outages with estimated restoration times.

Search Twitter or Reddit for "ChatGPT down" in the last 15 minutes. If hundreds of users are posting screenshots of error messages or timeout screens, you've confirmed it's a widespread outage. OpenAI's @OpenAIStatus account on Twitter also posts immediate notifications when they detect issues.

Is it OpenAI or is it you

Open an incognito window (Ctrl+Shift+N in Chrome, Cmd+Shift+N on Mac) and try chatgpt.com again. This rules out browser extensions and cached login states. If ChatGPT loads in incognito but not in your regular browser, you have a local problem.

Clear your browser cache and cookies specifically for chatgpt.com. In Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Delete browsing data → choose "Cookies and other site data" and "Cached images and files", set time range to "All time", then click "Clear data". In Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data, search for "chatgpt.com", remove it, then restart Safari.

Disable all browser extensions temporarily. Click your browser's extension icon, then toggle each one off. Try ChatGPT again. Ad blockers, privacy extensions, and VPNs commonly interfere with WebSocket connections that ChatGPT needs for real-time responses.

Switch networks if you're on VPN or corporate WiFi. VPNs can trigger rate limiting or geographic restrictions. Corporate networks often block WebSocket protocols. Try mobile data or a different WiFi network.

Test the ChatGPT mobile app if the website fails, or try the website if the app's broken. Sometimes one works when the other doesn't. Also test on a different device — your phone vs your laptop — to isolate device-specific issues.

If you've ruled out all of these and the live OpenAI status shows green, see the full troubleshooting guide: ChatGPT not working — troubleshooting.

What to do during an outage

Wait it out — OpenAI's engineering team gets alerts within seconds of service degradation. Major outages typically resolve within 30-90 minutes. Check status.openai.com every 15 minutes for progress updates rather than refreshing ChatGPT constantly.

For API users implementing retry logic: use exponential backoff starting at 1 second, doubling on each retry up to 60 seconds maximum wait time. Set a retry budget of 5 attempts, then fail gracefully. Don't hammer the API — you'll hit rate limits when service returns and delay your own recovery.

Queue non-urgent API requests in your application. Store them locally with timestamps, then process the queue when the status monitor shows green again. This prevents data loss and maintains user experience during partial outages.

Switch to a different model temporarily if status.openai.com shows GPT-4 is down but GPT-3.5 is operational. Update your API calls to use `gpt-3.5-turbo` until GPT-4 recovers.

Don't delete your account, cancel your subscription, or create new accounts. None of these actions will restore service faster, and you'll lose your conversation history or create billing complications. Don't open multiple support tickets — OpenAI's aware of outages before you report them, and duplicate tickets delay responses for everyone.

Questions people actually ask

Q: Is ChatGPT down right now?

A: Check the live OpenAI status at the top of this page — it updates every 60 seconds and shows current availability for ChatGPT, API, and all other OpenAI services.

Q: How long do ChatGPT outages usually last?

A: Most service disruptions resolve within 30-90 minutes. Major incidents affecting all users might take 2-4 hours. Status.openai.com shows estimated resolution times during active outages.

Q: Will OpenAI refund my Plus subscription for downtime?

A: OpenAI doesn't publicly guarantee refunds for brief outages. For extended downtime affecting multiple days, contact help.openai.com with specific dates and impact description.

Q: Can I switch to the API during a ChatGPT web outage?

A: Sometimes yes — the conversational API and web interface run on different infrastructure. Check status.openai.com to see if API services show green while ChatGPT web is red.

What to remember

Our live status monitor updates every 60 seconds from OpenAI's official feed — bookmark it
Test in incognito mode and on mobile data before assuming it's an outage
API users should implement exponential backoff with 5-retry limits and 60-second maximum waits
Don't cancel subscriptions, delete accounts, or spam support during outages — you'll create bigger problems
Most outages resolve in under 90 minutes; status.openai.com posts updates every 15-30 minutes

Related help

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