ChatGPT Not Working? How to Check Outages and Fix Common Errors

If ChatGPT is not working, first check OpenAI’s status page: if it shows an active incident, the problem is on OpenAI’s end and you can only wait it out. If the status page looks normal, the cause is usually local (browser data, an extension, a VPN, or your network), and the steps below fix most of those cases.

This guide walks through both situations, using OpenAI’s own Help Center advice. Details are accurate as of October 2026, but OpenAI updates its apps and support pages often.

Step 1: Find out if ChatGPT is down for everyone

Outages happen more often than most people expect, and they are frequently partial: one region, one feature, or one platform (web, iOS, Android, desktop) can fail while everything else works.

1. Open the official OpenAI status page. It lists active incidents and recent history for ChatGPT, the API, Codex and other services.
2. Look at the affected components. A login or authentication incident behaves very differently from slow responses or a broken file upload.
3. If there is an active incident, stop troubleshooting. Clearing caches or reinstalling the app will not help, and repeated login attempts can make things worse (more on that below).

Third-party trackers and outage-report sites can show a spike before OpenAI posts an update, but their timestamps are not always reliable. When they disagree with OpenAI’s status page, trust the official page.

What happened this week

Searches for “chatgpt not working” jumped this week after a login problem. According to OpenAI’s status history, on October 20, 2026, between roughly 9:35 and 10:35 a.m. PDT, some users (reported as being near Illinois) hit login failures across ChatGPT, the API and Codex. OpenAI said a configuration change caused it, rolled that change back, and marked the incident resolved. Some third-party outage trackers list the same event under October 21 and give inconsistent start and end times, so treat their exact timings with caution.

If you are still having trouble after that incident was resolved, the cause is most likely on your side, so keep going.

Step 2: Quick fixes that solve most problems

These come straight from OpenAI’s error-message troubleshooting article. Work through them in order and test ChatGPT after each one.

1. Hard refresh the page. Use Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac). This alone fixes many “Something went wrong” messages after a brief hiccup.
2. Try an incognito or private window. If ChatGPT works there, the problem is your browser profile: an extension, a cookie or cached data.
3. Disable browser extensions. Ad blockers, privacy tools, script blockers and some AI sidebars can interfere with ChatGPT. Turn them off, then re-enable them one at a time to find the culprit.
4. Clear cookies and site data for ChatGPT. Clearing only the cache is sometimes not enough; remove the site data for ChatGPT and OpenAI. You will be signed out, but your chat history stays in your account.
5. Turn off VPNs, proxies and secure DNS. OpenAI lists these as common causes of errors and “suspicious activity” warnings, because traffic from shared or unusual IP addresses can look risky.
6. Try another browser, device or network. Switching from Wi-Fi to mobile data is a fast way to test whether your network (for example, a work or school firewall) is blocking something.

Step 3: Fixes for specific symptoms

Different symptoms point to different causes. Use this table to jump to the most likely fix.

You can’t log in

OpenAI’s login help article recommends:

1. Allow cookies and JavaScript for chatgpt.com, openai.com and auth.openai.com. Strict privacy settings often block the sign-in step.
2. Clear cache and cookies, then sign in again.
3. Disable VPNs and ad blockers during sign-in.
4. If you see a warning after several failed attempts, stop and wait. OpenAI says repeated failed logins can trigger temporary restrictions; its guidance mentions waiting up to an hour.

ChatGPT is slow or never finishes a reply

OpenAI’s slow-response article points first to the status page, since slowdowns often line up with incidents or heavy demand. After that, try a different browser, device or network.

“Something went wrong” won’t go away

If the error persists on a green status page, read the pattern. In the OpenAI Developer Community thread on this error, users found no single universal fix. Some resolved it by clearing data or changing networks; others found it only happened on one account or one machine. That is useful diagnostic information:

• Fails on every device and network, only with your account: likely an account-side issue. Contact support.
• Fails only on one device: focus on that device’s browser data, extensions, security software and network settings.
• Fails only on one network: a firewall, DNS filter or VPN on that network is the likely cause.

The app is misbehaving

For the mobile and desktop apps, update to the latest version from the official App Store, Google Play, or OpenAI’s website, then sign out and back in. App-specific bugs do occur. For example, OpenAI’s status history this month included issues limited to particular platforms or app versions, so check whether an incident names your app. Only install ChatGPT from official sources; copycat “ChatGPT” apps and unofficial downloads are not supported by OpenAI.

Step 4: Contact OpenAI support

If nothing works and there is no active incident, contact OpenAI through the chat widget on help.openai.com. To speed things up:

1. Note the exact error message, the time it happened, and which platform you were using.
2. List what you’ve already tried (incognito, other browser, other network).
3. Be ready to share a HAR file if support asks. You record one from your browser’s developer tools (Network tab). OpenAI notes the desktop app doesn’t offer developer tools for this, so reproduce the problem in a browser.

Never share your password or verification codes with anyone, including people claiming to be OpenAI support on social media.

The short version

• Check the official status page first. If there’s an incident, wait.
• If it’s green, test in an incognito window, then disable extensions and VPNs, then clear site data.
• Narrow it down by switching browser, device and network.
• Still stuck? Contact OpenAI support through the Help Center with clear details.